The Ride of a Lifetime
by jdub13899
Summary: DEADLIEST CATCH: Raina has been friends with someone she has never met for years. Unexpectantly, they run into each other, and her world would never be the same after that day. Bad at summaries. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

A new story I am working on. Please tell me what you think. Definitely in the beginning stages, but it is an idea that I have been tossing around in my head for awhile. Decided to finally write it out. Please review! I need to know if I should continue with this story or not. :)

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Raina Jacobsen laid on the beach, reading her book, listening to the waves crash along the beach. Her two friends, Heather Hempshire and Jaime Zarr, were lying next to her on their towels. It was officially spring in Florida, and they were spending the day on the beach relaxing.

"What time do you guys have to be at work?" Raina asked, glancing over at her friends.

"In a few hours." Heather responded. "I really don't want to go, but need the money."

"Definitely don't miss the place." Raina said, smiling.

"I think you should pick up a shift every now and then. You have to miss us." Jaime said.

"I will. I will always be an employee at the Oyster Shack, I just enjoy not having to be there every single day anymore. I'm enjoying not having to go home smelling like grease."

"No, now you just go home smelling like dog." Heather smirked.

"I enjoy the vets office." She said, smiling. She heard her phone ring, signaling that she had a text message, and she went for her phone, digging it out of her purse.

"Who is it?" Heather asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

"It's Crosby." She said, smiling.

"Is that the guy from Vermont that you talk to all the time?" Jaime asked.

"Yup." She said, reading the text. It was the first text from him of the day, which was a daily ritual for them. They were constantly talking to each other throughout the day into all hours of the night. It was something that had been going on now for over three years.

"Do you ever plan on meeting this mysterious guy?" Heather asked her.

"Nope. Hard to do when he lives in Vermont, and I live here." Raina pointed out to her friend.

"That's what vacations are for, and when was the last time you went on one? You always work. You never do anything else. When was the last time you have left St. Petersburg?"

"I went back home last year."

"To a small town in Iowa where you are related to half the town. That is not a vacation. That is a family reunion."

Raina smiled at the comment.

"We will have to plan one then." Raina said to her friends. "I have vacation time I haven't used at work, and I could use it then."

"Great. Now where should we go?" Heather said, deep in thought.

"I always wanted to go on a cruise. We should do that." Jaime suggested.

"That would be amazing. I always wanted to go on a cruise." Raina said, smiling. She heard her cell phone ring again, and she went to read the text.

"Maybe you can invite mystery guy." Heather suggested, smiling at her friend.

"I have no interest in meeting this guy. He is just fun to talk too throughout the day. Helps pass the time."

"Uh huh. You cannot tell me that you have never wondered what it would be like to meet him in person."

"Yeah, that would be cool, but I don't meet people I met online. How do I know that this guy isn't some crazy that would want to steal my identity or something?" She asked.

"Yeah, he would talk to you for over three years just to steal your stuff." Jaime said. "Sounds like an awful lot of work to me."

"Do you know what he looks like?" Heather asked.

"Yeah, we met on Facebook, remember?" She asked.

"Oh yeah. You mistook him for your family friend that lives in Connecticut." Heather said, glancing over at Jaime, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, sounds a little fishy to me."

"I did! You've met him."

"I want to see pictures of this Crosby guy. Not family friend Crosby, but mystery guy Crosby."

Raina shook her head, finishing up her reply, and then brought up a picture that was saved on her phone that Crosby had sent her, and then showed her friends.

"Not bad looking at all." Heather said, taking the phone from her.

"Why don't you want to meet him? You have been talking for years, and he's hot."

Raina laughed at her friends.

"I am perfectly fine with the way things are."

"Whatever." Heather said, standing up. "Now I need to get home and shower before work tonight."

"I can't believe it's time already." Jaime said, making a face.

"You should come up to the restaurant." Heather said.

"I may. Is Nate bartending?" She asked, talking about a good friend of hers.

"Of course. It's a Saturday. He would never give up that shift." Jaime said, smiling.

"I may do that."

The three girls picked up their things and headed towards their cars. Raina put her things in the trunk of her 2008 Scion TC, saying bye to her friends, and then headed back to her house that she rented with her friend Nicole.

"Hey, how was the beach?" Nicole asked her when she walked in.

"It was nice. Got some color, which will help with that white skin I got from the winter." She said, smiling.

"Going out tonight?" She asked her.

"Probably going to head up to the Oyster Shack." She said. "How about you?"

"Heading into Tampa with a few friends." Nicole said, smiling.

Raina heard her cell phone ring.

"I'm going to take a shower." She said, walking out of the room, grabbing her cell phone. She told Crosby she would call him in a bit after her shower, and then walked into the bathroom. She quickly washed the sand out of her hair, shaved her legs, and then crawled out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her. She then walked down the hall to her bedroom, shutting the door. Her cat, Honey, was laying on her bed, and opened her eyes when Raina entered, looking disturbed.

Raina quickly patted Honey on the head, then took out a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, putting them on. She sat in front of her vanity and dialed Crosby's number, putting it on speakerphone while she waited for him to pick up.

"There you are. You take the longest showers in the world." Crosby said, answering the phone.

"I had to shave. It always takes forever if I have to shave."

"Yeah, I have that problem too." He joked. "How was the beach?"

"Amazing. We are finally getting beach weather. It has been way too cold of a winter here."

"Oh boo hoo. You don't even know what a winter is living in Florida. Winters in Florida are for wussies."

Raina laughed.

"I am from Iowa. I know what a winter can be like. I will stick with the Florida winters, thank you very much. Shit, the Iowa summer nights are sometimes too cold for me. Me moving back up north is totally out of the question in my world."

Crosby laughed at her.

"What are your plans for the evening?" He asked her.

"I am going to have a few drinks up at the old job, and then who knows after that. How about yourself?"

"Family time. Just got home from Seattle." He said.

"I swear you travel more than anybody I know." She said, brushing through her hair.

"Oh yes, the fabulous life of me." He joked.

"My friends and I are thinking about planning a vacation soon. I have not visited anywhere but Iowa in years, and I think it's time I planned a vacation for myself."

"Where are you planning on going?"

"On a cruise. The best way to travel, or so I have heard. Never been on one myself."

"I have been on a cruise. They are definitely a lot of fun."

"I hope. Oh, and guess what. I spoke with Brandi yesterday. I am entering my car in the competition next weekend." She said, talking about a friend of hers she met at the veterinary office. The two of them both owned Scions, and both were in the same car club together. Brandi was the one that helped her get the job as a receptionist at the animal hospital, which she was grateful for.

"I was surprised when I heard that you weren't planning on going. You are nuts if you don't."

"I don't think it's ready, but why not? It'll be fun. Plus, I get to see what everyone else is doing with their cars."

"Take pictures. I want to see myself. We need to figure out what we are going to do to that car of yours."

"I think I need to redo it all. I don't like the direction it is going in." She said, glancing out her window to where her car was parked. It was one of the things that the two of them had in common, their interest in cars.

"What do you want to do with it?"

"I want to paint it. I hate the color it is." It was currently a light blue, which she loved at first, but now was bored with it.

"What color do you want?"

"Jet black." She said, smiling.

"Boring." He said into the phone loudly.

"But I want to put, like, hot pink in it."

Crosby laughed.

"Please God tell me you're joking!"

Raina laughed.

"I am. But the black does look nice. Maybe a black and silver theme or something."

"That would look nice. Just don't do hot pink."

"I won't. I just wanted to hear what you had to say. But wouldn't you shit yourself if I did send you a picture of my car all decked out in black and pink."

"I just may have to fly down to Florida and hurt you myself." He joked.

Raina started on her make-up at that point, deciding on letting her hair air dry.

"I actually will be in Florida somewhere next weekend." He said at that point.

"Will you. What's the occasion?" She asked.

"Work stuff. I think we are going to be in South Florida, near Naples I think? Nowhere near you, I'm guessing?"

"Yup. Nowhere near me. Just face it. You and me running into each other is never going to happen."

"Probably not. This country is too big for that."

"And how does your work involve you coming to Florida? I thought you were a fisherman?"

"I am. I just go with the flow. Where the captain goes, I follow."

Raina laughed.

"So you're saying you're his bitch?"

Crosby laughed.

"In a way, I guess I am, but let's not call me that."

Just then, Raina heard a beeping coming from her phone. She picked it up and noticed that she was getting another call.

"Anyway, Crosby, I am getting another phone call. My old boss from the restaurant is calling me, and I have no clue as to why."

"They are begging you to come back and work for them."

"Yeah right." She said, laughing. "It is time for you to go and hang out with your family. Can't talk to me forever."

"Darn. Have fun tonight."

Raina agreed, then hit the button to switch phone calls.

"What's going on Jerry?" She asked, smiling.

"You know you love me, right?" He asked. She knew at that point he was calling in for a favor.

"What do you want?" She asked. "And it better not involve me working tonight."

"No, not tonight. I need you next weekend."

"Why?" She asked.

"Can you come in tonight? Not to work, but to talk. I will buy you a drink."

Raina smiled.

"You know I can't pass up a free drink. Plus, I was planning on coming in there anyway."

"Awesome. We will talk after dinner rush."

"Sounds like a plan to me. See you in a few hours, Jerry."

Raina hung up the phone and finished putting her make-up on.

A few hours later, Raina pulled up to the restaurant that sat right on the beach. It was a busy night, which she figured since it was a gorgeous evening, but not too busy to where she couldn't find a seat at the outside bar.

"Ina! What's going on my sexy bitch!" Nate yelled from behind the bar.

"Ready to get my drink on for the evening." She said, smiling. She waved at a couple people she knew as Nate got her a rum and coke.

"Has Jerry talked to you yet?" Nate asked her.

"I know he needs to talk to me, but not really sure what about."

Just then, she watched as Jerry, the owner of the restaurant, come out of the kitchen, and he spotted her almost immediately. He walked in her direction, smiling at her.

"Hey Jerry. How are you?" She asked, giving him a hug.

"Great. Busy. Just the way I like it." He said, taking the seat next to her.

"What's going on? Why do you need me to work next week?"

"I need some of my best wait staff on next Saturday. You know that my best servers are Heather, Kelly, and you. You, however, aren't fully employed here anymore since you decided to leave me, so I can't just schedule you in there. That's why I need a favor."

Raina eyed him, not sure what was going on big enough to have him ask a favor.

"How many times have I helped you in the past?" He asked.

"A ton. You still do, letting me work whenever I want. I don't know many people that get away with that." She said honestly, taking a sip of her drink.

"Exactly. Please work for me." He said.

"What exactly is going on next week that involves me to work?"

"Discovery Channel is renting out the place for this big meet and greet event for one of their biggest shows. The cast is coming into town, and they want to use our place. They liked the atmosphere, and like how it is right on the beach, and it is big enough to hold the kind of crowd that these guys will bring."

"The Discovery Channel? They have a show that has a huge fan base? I always get bored watching that channel."

"So I'm guessing you never heard of their show, 'The Deadliest Catch'." He said, watching her.

"The Deadliest who?" She asked. "What in the hell is that about?"

"Crab fishing up in the Behring Sea." He said.

"Yeah, never heard of it." She responded, shrugging her shoulders. "How does one fish for crab? Do they use fishing poles?"

Jerry laughed at the comment.

"What?" She asked, clueless.

"You should watch the show sometime. You would be in for a real treat." He said.

"I don't think so. Just the thought of watching the Discovery Channel bores me." She said, shaking her head.

"So, will you do it?" He asked.

"What time do I have to be here?"

"Around ten in the morning." He said.

"I was supposed to go to a car show next weekend."

"Please don't make me beg." He said, smiling at her.

"I would kind of enjoy it if you would." She joked.

Jerry smiled, looking at her with a stupid grin on his face.

"Fine. I'll do it." She said, holding up her hands in defeat.

"I always knew I could count on you!" He said, smiling at her.

"You owe me, Jerry." She said, smiling at him.

"If everything goes without a hitch, I will be forever grateful." He said.

Raina sighed. She didn't know what she was getting herself into, but figured it would be fun none the less.

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There you have it. PLEASE tell me what you think!! Should I continue on? Or is it dead in the water?


	2. Chapter 2

Another chapter - Please keep reviewing!!! Want to know if I should continue on with this story or not! Thanks in advance! :)

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Raina drove down the street towards the restaurant, traffic worse than she expected.

"It's like everyone is going to the beach all at the same time." She said to Brandi, who was on the phone with her.

"You know, you could be going to the car show with me instead of sitting in traffic. Just think of how much more fun you could be having right now."

"You really aren't going to let this go, are you?" Raina joked.

"Hell no. I finally convinced you to go, and then you go and change your mind to work. And not even work at your main job, but for one that you quit years ago, but still can't bring yourself to get away from."

"Maybe I'll make the money I need to start my car over." Raina said, hopeful.

"You want to repaint it. That is not something that can be done with a couple hundred dollars."

"One can hope." She said, smiling.

"I do have a friend who said that he can give you a good deal on a paint job though." Brandi told her. "If you are interested."

"Definitely. If you trust him enough to paint my car, then I am okay with it. You know I don't just let anybody touch my car."

"Exactly why I suggested him." She said, laughing.

"Brandi, you should see the mass amount of people that are here. This is insane." Raina said when she drove up to the restaurant.

"They are TV Stars. If I wasn't going to the car show, I would totally be there."

"I thought you never saw the show before." Raina said, parking her car in the reserved employee parking spot by the building.

"I haven't, but the fact that celebrities are here in town, I wouldn't pass that up normally."

"True. I'll have to get pictures of them. That way I have proof that I met them."

Brandi laughed.

"I'm going to get off this thing. Who knows what I am getting ready to walk into."

"Good luck. Call me if you get bored."

Raina agreed, hanging up her phone. She made her way through the restaurant onto the back porch where people were frantically setting up for the meet and greet.

"Hey, what's going on?" She asked Heather, who was moving a table by herself.

"You're here. Want to help me?"

Raina immediately grabbed the other side of the table and helped move it to the far side of the deck.

"So, what are we in for?"

"A busy, busy day. They should be here soon."

"How much more setting up is there?"

"Just the tables. They are going to eat before we start letting the fans in." Heather explained.

"I can't believe how many people are here already. I thought the doors opened at one."

"They do. And the guys weren't supposed to be here for a few hours, but have decided to come in early to eat. That's why Jerry looks like shit right now. He's been here for hours calling the cooks to come in earlier than planned, and prepping for everything."

"He is keeping the restaurant open too, isn't he?" Raina asked her.

"The inside part only. Outside is reserved for the Discovery Channel thing."

She nodded, looking around the room. There were a bunch of people she didn't recognize, who she figured were people who worked with the company.

"Jerry also has new tank tops he wants us to wear. Not our old grungy ones."

"Where's it at, so I can change?"

She didn't have to go far, since Jerry had spotted her and was walking towards here, a shirt in tow.

"You came. Please change into this shirt. There will be local news stations here taping, and I want us to look our best."

Raina nodded, taking the tank top from him. She walked into the bathroom, where she ran into Kelly.

"Hey, look at you." Kelly said with a smile.

"How are you?" She asked her friend with a smile. She took the top she was wearing off, slipping on the new one, and then inspected it in the mirror.

"This thing is huge." Kelly said, looking at her own new shirt.

Raina laughed, then decided to tie it up in the back, making it more form fitting, exposing her stomach a little. Kelly, liking the idea, did the same.

"Much better." She said.

"Should I wear my hair up, or down?" Raina asked, pulling it up to make up her mind.

"Keep it down. It's not too windy out. That's what I'm planning on doing."

Raina nodded, letting her long brown wavy hair fall down her back. She applied some lip gloss, and then inspected herself in the mirror.

"Ready to do this?" Raina asked her friend.

"As ready as I am going to be."

The two girls walked out of the bathroom and noticed a big bus had pulled up outside. Raina walked up to Heather, elbowing her, as they watched the guys walk off the bus.

"How many of them are there?" She asked.

"I don't know, but it looks like a lot."

Raina watched as the fans screamed at the sight of the guys walking off the bus.

"Come on, let's get pitchers of water out on the tables." Raina suggested. The three girls ran off inside to start working. They started bringing the pitchers out, setting them on the many tables outside while the guys filed into the restaurant. She said hi to the guys as they walked by, trying to stay out of their way, while they took their seats.

"Hi everyone, my name is Ina, and I'm one of the girls helping you out today." Raina said, introducing herself. It was a tradition that the restaurant to go by their nicknames, since a bunch of the servers had the same names. It had started years ago, and had stuck, the customers liking the idea as well.

"Ina, look at you. Sit down for a bit so we can get to know you." One of the guys said, smiling at her.

Raina sat down on the arm rest of one of the chairs that one of the guys were sitting in, resting her arm on the back of the chair.

"I'm Andy." He said, introducing himself.

"Nice to meet you. How about you guys?"

"This is my brother Johnathan, and my other brother Neil. Then we have Sig and his wife June, and Edgar and his wife Louise." Andy said, taking it upon himself to introduce the table.

"Nice to meet you all." She said, smiling. "Can I grab you all something to drink?"

The group started to give her their drink orders, and she nodded, listening to them all.

"You don't have to write them down?" Sig asked her.

"Nope. I have it all right up here." She said, tapping her head.

"Ooh, we can have fun with that." Edgar joked.

Raina walked away to put the drinks into the system, then went to the bar where Nate was waiting for her.

"How's it going so far?"

"So far, so good. They are a bunch of nice guys." She said, starting to put the drinks on her tray as Nate handed them to her.

Just then, Heather walked up to her, laughing.

"What?" Raina asked her.

"These guys are a bunch of flirts!" She said, laughing.

"They are a bunch of guys. Of course they are." Nate said, laughing.

"Any of them cute?" Raina asked, scanning the room.

"Some of the guys that I just left aren't bad looking."

Raina nodded, taking her phone out her pocket. She realized that Crosby had texted her, and went to text him back.

_"Hope your having more fun today than I am." _She wrote him, then stuck the phone back in her back pocket.

Crosby took his phone out of his pocket, glancing at it.

"Are you still talking to that girl?" Josh Harris asked, glancing over at him.

"Yup." He responded.

"Doesn't she live in Florida? You should invite her out."

"She doesn't live near here. Already asked that." Crosby replied, smiling at him.

_"I'm guessing Brandi didn't talk you into going to the car show. At least you are making money, right?"_ He sent her.

"This is the closest you have been to her, and she couldn't find the time to drive to see you? You guys have been friends for over three years, and still haven't even met." Mike Fourtner said. "There is something weird about that."

"Nothing weird." He said. "We always knew going into this friendship we may never meet."

"Shit, I've seen pictures of this chick. I would want to meet her." Scott Hillstrand said, smiling.

"It may happen. Just not happening today." He said, taking his phone back out.

_"I guess, but have to hang out with a bunch of drunks to do so. It's going to be an interesting day."_ She said.

Crosby laughed at the comment.

"What?" Josh asked.

"Poor girl has to deal with a bunch of drunks today." He said, taking a drink of the beer in front of him.

"Can't be worse than this bunch of drunks." Scott said, laughing.

_"It's 5 o'clock somewhere."_ He said to her, smiling.

Raina smiled at the text before sticking it back in her pocket.

"Ina! Come here!" Kelly yelled.

Raina walked over to where Kelly was standing, talking to a few of the guys.

"These guys wanted to meet you." Kelly said.

"Did you now?" She asked, smiling at the group sitting in front of her.

"Sure. Jersey here has been telling us all kinds of things about you." One of the guys said to her.

"Has she. Hopefully good things." Raina said with a smile.

"Nothing but. My name is Jake." Jake Harris said, smiling at her.

"Nice to meet you." She said.

"Name is Keith." Keith Colburn said, shaking her hand. "And this is my brother Monty."

"And I am Matt." Matt Bradley said, smiling at her.

"Nice to meet all of you."

"Actually, we just saw you talking to those guys, and we got jealous, and wanted you all to ourselves." Jake admitted.

"Well, aren't you a little flirt." She said, smiling at him.

"He tries, but has no game." Matt joked.

Raina pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You keep trying, I bet you will find yourself a keeper one of these times." Raina joked.

"This girl has jokes! I like it." Jake laughed.

Raina walked away, back to the table she was taking care of earlier, to see if they were ready to order food.

"Have we decided?" Raina asked them, smiling.

"Yeah. I would like a burger, medium well, but yet blackened on the outside, with two slices of tomatoes, three pickles, some lettuce, two chunks of cooked onions, with a non-toasted bun." Edgar said, glancing up at her.

Raina laughed.

"You're kidding, right?" She asked him, crossing her arms.

"What? It's what I want."

"You come to a seafood restaurant, and order a burger?"

Edgar laughed.

"Because I can get that blackened medium well burger with 2 tomatoes, 3 pickles, 2 chunks of cooked onions, and lettuce on a non-toasted bun, but it's nothing like our salmon dinner."

"Hey, she's good." Edgar said to Sig, who was smiling. "You're right though. I want the salmon dinner."

Raina smiled at him, turning towards his wife, who gave Raina her simple order. When she had all the orders, she walked over to the computer and entered everything in.

"How's it going?" Kelly asked her, leaning against the bar next to her.

"It's going." She said, finishing the order. She stepped away for Kelly to start entering in her food order. She took out her cell phone, glancing at the text that Crosby had sent her.

_"I have officially found myself wishing I was at the car show. Being hit on by guys at a bar is one reason why I quit this place."_ She said to him, smiling.

"Hey, the guys I am waiting on want to meet you two." Heather said, walking up to them a little while later. The two girls followed Heather to the table she had been spending most of her time at.

"Guys, this is Jersey and Ina. Ladies, this is Josh, Mike, Mike's wife Lacey, and Scott." She said, introducing them.

"Wasn't there another guy here before?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, he ran to the restroom. He'll be back." Scott said, smiling at her.

"We are getting ready to let the swarm in. Have to start getting ready." Josh joked.

"Ladies, the food is starting to come up." Jerry announced, coming up to them.

"Sorry fellas. Gotta' get back to work." Raina said, smiling at them.

The three girls walked into the building as Crosby walked back to the table.

"You just missed the girls." Scott said, smiling at him.

"I'll have to meet them later then, won't I?" Crosby asked, smiling. He took out his cell phone to see if Raina had responded back to him, and laughed at her comment.

_"Then glad you aren't here hanging out with us. The guys have seen a picture of you, and have already said they would be interested in you."_ He sent to her.

Raina looked at the text, laughing. She put the dishes that were coming out on a tray, then made her way outside, passing through the very busy main dining room. She then walked over to her table and handed out the food to them.

"More drinks all around?" Raina asked them, looking at their almost empty glasses.

"That would be great." June said, smiling at her.

Raina walked over to the bar to get another round of drinks for her table.

_"At least it's a gorgeous day outside. I have that to enjoy at least."_ She said to Crosby, putting the drinks on her tray.

_"It's nice here too. Really relaxing. This place we're at is right on the water. Can't get much better than that."_ She read.

She looked around the room, watching the water crash against the beach. She couldn't help but feel the same way he was. She could be stuck in the office right then, instead of outside enjoying the gorgeous weather. She was grateful for that.

"Raina. The drinks are dying." Nate said, snapping her out of her daze.

Raina smiled at him, putting the last of the drinks on her tray, and headed back to the table.

"Can I get another beer?" Crosby asked, leaning against the bar right as Raina left.

Nate did so, and then Crosby headed back towards his table.

Around one, the large crowd was being let in to start meeting the guys. They were all lined up behind tables so they could sign autographs. Raina watched as the guys posed for pictures and took the time to talk to each and every fan that walked through.

"They are great with their fans." Raina said, watching the guys.

"Shows that they really do care about their fans." Kelly said, watching them as well.

There were local TV news crews there taping the event, encouraging people to come down to meet the guys as well. The line for the meet and greet was astounding, and there was even a huge line for the restaurant as well, as they were on a two hour wait time. Jerry looked as if he was on cloud nine with how well everything was going, and Raina was happy for him.

_"You should see the mass amount of people at the restaurant today. You would think that a movie star was here or something."_ Raina said to Crosby, then put her cell phone back in her pocket.

"Maybe we should fill up their water pitchers." Raina suggested when she realized the pitchers were close to being empty.

Heather and Kelly agreed, walking inside to get fresh pitchers for the guys. Raina walked over and swapped out some of the pitchers, the guys seeming grateful to get some cool water on that hot day. She then started to offer the fans water, pouring water in small glasses and handing them out.

"This is a perfect beach day." Heather said, glancing out at the water as she leaned against the busy bar. It was one big party on the patio, many of the fans getting drinks for themselves to enjoy.

"I know. I could be enjoying that too instead of working." Raina joked.

"Like you aren't having fun." She said, smiling at her.

"I actually am. This is pretty cool. Not often something like this goes on here."

"Exactly, and the guys are a pretty nice as well."

Raina took out her phone, taking a picture of the pretty sight of the beach.

"I need a new screen saver for my phone." Raina said, smiling at the picture she took. "And look, I got one of the guys in it. This will be my proof that I have met them."

"That's a pretty picture." Heather said.

Raina sent the picture to Crosby with the heading, _"Just another day at the office."_ She then set the picture as her screen saver.

"I'd say I'm trying to make him jealous of where I'm working right now, but he said that he's on the beach himself." Raina said, sticking her phone in her pocket.

"Did he say where in Florida he's at?"

"He said somewhere near Naples." She said. "No clue where though."

The two girls headed inside to fill up more pitchers of water.

"I hear your phone vibrating." Mike said, leaning towards Crosby. "Can't you turn that thing off for a day? You are always on it." He added, joking.

"I'm good." He replied, smiling at the fan after signing the autograph. He fished out his phone.

"She sent a picture." He said, looking at it.

Mike looked over his shoulder at the picture.

"Hey, looks like as nice of a day out as we are having here."

He nodded, putting his phone down. As he was doing so, something caught his eye.

"Hey, doesn't that guy look like Edgar?" He asked, taking a closer look.

Mike took the phone from him, taking a closer look himself.

"Yeah, it does." He said, laughing.

Crosby looked in the direction of where Edgar was sitting. He was the last one at the end of the table. He glanced at what he was wearing, and what was in the picture, and then the background.

"Hey, that is Edgar." He said. "This picture is of here."

"You sure she sent it to you, and not someone else?" Mike asked him.

Crosby looked at his phone, and then shook his head.

"No, it's from Raina." He said, frowning. He glanced around for someone that looked familiar, but saw nobody.

"She said she's working." He said. "The girls you met earlier. Any of their names Raina?"

Mike shook his head.

"They only go by nicknames." He said. "They wouldn't give us their names. I just know their nicknames are Slick, Jersey, and Ina."

Crosby looked around, still confused. He then brought up a picture of Raina on his phone.

"Did any of them look like this?" He asked.

Mike took the phone from him, glancing at it.

"Yeah, that chick Ina looks like her." Mike said. "You're telling me that we have been here for how long now, and you two didn't realize that you both were here?"

Crosby frowned, still glancing through the thick crowd, looking for Raina.

"It can't be possible. She can't be here. I would have recognized her." He said.

"Would you have? Neither one of you would have ever dreamed about both of you being here. Where does she think you are?"

"At a work thing." He said. "But she lives near Tampa. We're not near there, are we?"

Mike laughed.

"Yeah, we're not far from there at all." He said, smiling at his friend.

"I thought we were in Naples." Crosby said, clueless.

"Where the hell is Naples? We're in St. Petersburg right now."

"Hell, how was I supposed to know?" Crosby asked, laughing. "I just get on the plane."

"Obviously. Glad you aren't the one driving us."

"Who the hell knows where we would be if I was in charge." Crosby joked.

"Of course, now you won't be able to find her." Mike said, glancing through the crowd for Raina at that point as well.

"I'll see her sooner or later." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"You aren't excited, at all, to finally meet this chick you have been talking too for years?"

Crosby shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess I'm not totally convinced that it really is her." He said. "Maybe when I see her my feelings will change, but right now, I am still not sure."

Mike posed for a picture with a couple fans at that point, and Crosby scanned the crowd. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he was hoping that he wasn't mistaken, and it was really her. He was kind of excited to meet her in person. It was something he had dreamed would happen for years, but didn't know if, or when, it would happen. The fact that it might happen that day excited him, and was hoping that he wouldn't be disappointed.

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There you have it! Please review! It's like music to my ears. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Another chapter for everyone to enjoy. Had a little longer lunch than normal at work, so I was able to finally get this up. Hope you enjoy! Please review! :)

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Raina volunteered herself to help run food for the busy restaurant that was packed with people. The wait to be sat was still over an hour at that point, and she could tell the rest of the wait staff was starting to get burnt out, so she was more than happy to help them out. While she was busy helping the others, the line was held so that the guys could take a bathroom break, or grab a cigarette.

"Did you find her?" Mike asked Crosby.

"Not even a trace of her." He said. "Are you sure it was her?"

"More than positive. It has to be her." Mike responded, looking for either Heather of Kelly at that point. "Hey, Slick, come here." He said when he saw Heather come out of the building.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Where is Ina?"

"I don't know. I think she is inside helping out, since they are so busy. I can help you guys though, if you need something."

"Just need her." Mike said, smiling. "No offense."

Heather smiled.

"Want me to go get her?" She asked.

"That would be great." Crosby said, starting to get nervous.

The guys watched as Heather walked inside the restaurant.

"What if it isn't her?" Crosby stated, glancing over at his friend.

"It's her. I have a good feeling it is her."

Just then, Heather walked out of the restaurant with another girl, both talking.

"That's not her." Crosby said, a little disappointed.

"No, it's not. Slick, where is she?" Mike asked.

"She will be right out. She's running food to a table, and will be out after she's done."

Mike smiled at Crosby, who looked sick to his stomach.

"It's going to be fine." Mike reassured him.

Just then, Raina walked outside, looking around for the guys who had asked for her.

"Ina, come here." Mike said, waving to her.

Raina smiled, walking over to them, glancing over at Crosby.

"You asked for me?" She asked, still eying Crosby.

Crosby didn't know what to say at that point, realizing that it really was her. She looked different in person, but he could definitely tell it was her.

Mike glanced at Crosby, waiting for him to say something, but could tell he was speechless at that point.

"You have been talking to my friend here for the past few years, and I thought that you two would finally like to meet." Mike finally said, breaking the silence.

Raina glanced between Mike and Crosby, a little confused.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked.

"This is Crosby, the guy you have been talking on the phone with day in and day out for god knows how long." Mike said, smiling at her.

Raina looked at both of them, not knowing what to say.

"Wait a minute; this is a joke, right? Heather put you up to this. This was a good one. I get the hint. I will stay off my phone for the rest of the day."

"Who's Heather?" Mike asked, looking over at Crosby.

"I mean Slick. Thanks guys, you gave me quite the scare for a minute there. And you do, really, look a lot like him too. She did a great job putting this together. It was a great prank, I will definitely remember this one."

Raina went to walk away, laughing to herself. She walked up to the bar where Heather and Jaime were standing.

"Great prank Heather. I definitely have to get you back on that one." She said, smiling.

"What prank?" She asked, glancing at her with a questioned look.

"You can give it up. I already know about it. I will stay off my phone, I swear." She then felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and she went to take it out to turn it off, to prove to Heather she was done with it for the day, when she realized Crosby was calling her.

"After I answer this." She said, answering the phone. "Hey, can't talk right now. Still working…"

"I know you are." She heard him say to her. "And it's not a joke."

Raina turned behind her, confused, to see Crosby and Mike waving at her, Crosby on his phone. Her mouth dropped open, glancing at her phone, making sure that what was happening really was happening.

"No way." She said, glancing back at Crosby, who just shrugged his shoulders at her.

A smile crossed across her face at that moment. She ran across the room and jumped in his arms, giving him a hug.

"I can't believe you are here!" She yelled. "I thought you were supposed to be in Naples?"

"Yeah, me too." He said, hugging her back.

"Crosby never knows where we are going. He just gets on the plane, and goes with it." Mike joked.

"How long are you going to be in town for?" She asked, looking up at him.

"We'll be around until Monday. Then we head to Orlando, right?" He asked Mike.

"Yeah. We'll be in Orlando for a week." Mike said.

"Then we will have to get together tonight, or tomorrow, or whenever." She said to Crosby.

"Sounds like a plan to me. All of us are going to this bar down the street that is right on the beach called the Spinning Dolphin?"

"Yeah, I know exactly where that is."

"Then you should join us." He said, smiling at her.

"I just may." She responded. She noticed that the Discovery crew were starting to get the guys back to their seats to start signing autographs again.

"You know, you are shorter than I thought you would be." Crosby joked, walking back towards his seat.

"Good things come in small packages." She said, smiling back at him.

"So, you know him?" Heather asked, coming up to Raina.

"That is Crosby, in the flesh." She said, glancing at her friend.

"I thought his name sounded familiar, but thought it was a coincidence." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

Later that evening, Raina was cleaning up the patio, putting things back in order to open up the outside to start serving people out there. The restaurant never slowed down, and Jerry ended up calling more people in to work to help relieve the staff, and to work the outside patio.

"You sure you don't want to stay and serve this evening?" Jerry asked, smiling at Raina.

"I'm sure. I am tired, and have been here all day." She said. "Plus, I just found out I have a friend in town, and want to spend time with him."

Jerry just smiled at her.

"Well, here is your cut for everything today. Once outside is back to normal, you are free to go."

Raina smiled, accepting the envelope he was handing her. She finished putting tables back where they belong, then walked over to Heather.

"Are you staying?" She asked, helping her put a table away.

"Yeah. I can use the money. You probably have big plans tonight?"

"Going to have a couple drinks with Crosby." She said, nodding in the direction of where he was standing with Scott, Mike, and Lacey.

"You have fun." She said, smiling at her.

Raina walked over to where they were standing, enjoying a drink.

"I am officially off duty." She said to the group, smiling.

"So does that mean you want to leave?" Crosby asked her.

"Like you have no idea." She responded.

"Then lets head out."

The group headed outside, where most of the other guys from the show were at, all getting on the bus to head down to the hotel to change before going to the bar.

"I really want to shower before I go." Raina said to them, opening the trunk to her car to throw her things in.

"This is your car?" Scott asked, ignoring her comment.

"Yeah." She said, smiling at it. "As I told Crosby, thinking of redoing it, but not sure which direction I want to go in yet."

"This is a nice ass car. You sure it's yours, and not your boyfriends or something?"

"Oh please. Most of the guys I know don't know half the shit I know about cars. This car is all me." She said, leaning against it.

"Pop the hood. I want to see what you have." Scott said, walking to the front of her car. Raina glanced over at Crosby, who was looking over her car as well at that point.

She quickly popped the hood to her car, and Scott opened it, glancing at the engine.

"This isn't the stock engine on this, is it?" He asked.

"Nope." She responded, going to stand next to him.

"Do you do the work yourself?" He asked her.

"Everything done to this car was all done by me." She said. "I don't trust anyone touching my car. It's why it pains me that when I get it painted, that I won't be doing it."

"Crosby, how in the hell did you find this chick?"

"I am just that lucky, I guess." He said, smiling.

"So, how about I meet you guys at the bar then." She said, closing the hood to her car.

"Sounds good to us." Mike said.

"Want to go with me, or them?" Raina asked Crosby.

"I'll just meet you there. Want to shower myself." He said.

Raina walked over and gave him a hug, and then got in her car and sped towards her house. She immediately got into the shower, and then changed into a short white skirt, and a black and white tank top. She blow dried her hair quickly, and then started on her make-up, then realized that her cell phone was ringing.

_"You need to hurry up and get your ass here."_

She smiled at Crosby's text. She finished her make-up, and then fed Honey, who was begging for food. She said her good-byes to her roommate, and then drove towards the bar.

When she arrived, she immediately recognized the guys standing around the bar, talking amongst themselves. She immediately walked up to Crosby, leaning against him.

"I finally made it." She said to him, smiling.

"Hey. It's about damn time." He said, giving her a hug. "What would you like to drink?"

"Just a beer." She said, taking the seat that Crosby was offering her.

"So you are the famous Raina." Lacey said, smiling at her.

"I don't consider myself famous, but sure." She said, smiling. "And you must be the wonderful Lacey that Crosby has been telling me about."

"Everything that you have heard are lies, unless they are good things, of course."

"He has said nothing but good things." She said, smiling at her. "He showed me pictures of your wedding. You looked gorgeous."

Lacey smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you." She responded.

"So, what took you two so long to finally meet up?" Mike asked them, taking a swig of his beer.

"Distance. That's the main thing." Raina said, looking at him.

"We never were in the right place at the right time, until now."

"Were you planning on visiting him, knowing he was in Florida?" Lacey asked Raina.

"Honestly, no. Really didn't think I was going to have time. Before I knew I was doing this thing, I was supposed to be at a car show today."

"Nothing comes between her and that car." Crosby joked.

The guy sitting on the other side of Raina got up, and Crosby took the seat. Raina smiled at him, turning towards him.

"So, am I what you expected?" She asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"In some ways, yes. In others, the complete opposite." He answered, smiling at her.

"How so?" She curiously asked.

"You are more outgoing than I had imagined. Your smile when you laugh is better than I had imagined as well."

Raina gave him a weird look, but laughed at him.

"You're crazy." She said.

"You asked. How about me? Am I what you expected?"

"You're taller than I had expected." She said.

"And you're short." He said, smiling at her.

"I like watching you concentrate too. You stick your tongue out a little when you do it."

Crosby laughed at the comment.

"You asked." She mocked, throwing a piece of napkin at him.

"I'm happy we finally did meet though." He said to her.

"Me too." She agreed, taking a sip of her drink. "Now, tell me about this job of yours. Why is it so popular? What do you do, wrestle sharks while fishing for crab?"

Crosby laughed.

"That actually may be safer than what we do, depending on the shark."

"Yeah right." She said, eying him.

"You just need to see the show. You will understand when you see it."

Raina eyed him.

"You're not going to tell me anything about it?"

He shook his head, smiling.

"Why not?"

"You just need to watch the show."

"Fine. Then I guess I know what I am doing later tonight." She said, sitting back in her chair.

"How do you know the show will be on TV?" He asked her.

"My friend said she has the seasons on DVD. I will borrow it from her."

Crosby nodded, eying her out of the corner of his eye.

"So what all do you have planned in Orlando this week?"

"We are doing another meet with the fans one day. We are going to Universal, and Disney, and Sea World and getting behind the scenes tours of all of those place, and we are also going to a Nascar race at the end of the week."

"Nice."

"You should come with us." He offered, watching her.

"I have to work, and it's my weekend to work."

"Try to get off." He suggested.

"Yeah right. I've had the past two weekends off. I don't see them letting me get a third off in a row."

"Worth trying. It'll be fun. At least consider it."

She nodded, finishing her beer.

"So, what are you doing tomorrow?" He asked her.

"No plans as of now." She answered.

"You should hang out at the beach with us. We are planning on having a relaxing day before the hectic week we are faced with next week."

She nodded.

"We'll be grilling out, having some drinks, possibly playing some volleyball or something. Not sure. It'll be fun though."

"Sounds like fun. Count me in."

Crosby smiled at her.

They sat and talked for hours that night, acting as if they had never spent a day apart from each other, and the rest of the guys noticed it. Before long, the bar was coming to a close, and they all headed outside to leave. Their hotel was not far from the bar, which was why most of them walked there, however, they all walked up to a couple motorcycles that were sitting right out front of the bar.

"Hey, what's going on?" She asked Crosby quietly.

"Johnathan and Scotty were surprised with a couple motorcycles to use this weekend, and they are showing them off." Crosby stated.

Raina looked at the bikes, both being Harley-Davidson's, just different models.

"Would you like to go for a ride?" Johnathan asked Raina when he saw her eying the bikes.

"Sure, but only if I'm driving." She said, putting her hands on her hips. Her small purse was hanging from her wrist.

"You can drive one of these?" He asked, laughing. "I can't see it."

"It's the next toy I am planning on getting myself. Just waiting for the right moment." She said.

"Be my guest." Johnathan said, getting off the bike. Raina handed her small handbag to him, then climbed on the back of the bike, starting it up. Just looking at her one wouldn't think that she knew a thing about bikes, and she clearly wasn't wearing the right outfit to be riding one, but she didn't care. The engine fired up, and she smiled at the sound. Scott started up his bike as well, and the guys watched as the two of them drove off.

"I'm sorry, but there is nothing hotter than a chick on a bike." Johnathan said, glancing over at Crosby.

"Especially one in a short skirt." Josh said, smiling.

"By looking at her, you wouldn't think she was a biker chick." Andy said, taking a sip of his drink.

"How in the hell did she end up with the bike, and I end up with her purse. How does she carry anything in this thing?" He asked, holding it up.

"I can see who the woman would be between the two of you." Edgar joked.

Johnathan laughed, tossing the bag to Crosby, who caught it.

"Your woman. I ain't carryin' that shit." He said. "She better come back with that bike soon."

"Just friends guys, nothing more."

"Yeah right. I have a hard time believing that neither one of you have feelings for each other after talking almost every single day for the past three years. The only time I don't see you on that phone is when we are fishing." Keith said to him.

"She's planning on coming out tomorrow to the beach, right?" Johnathan asked.

"Yeah. She will be there." He answered.

"You guys will figure it out sooner or later." He said. "I have faith."

"She should come to Orlando with us. It isn't too far from here." Johnathan said.

"She has to work."

"She needs to get off! How often do you come to town? Next to never."

Crosby laughed.

"We will talk to her, don't you worry." Andy said, watching as the two bikes came back into view. The group watched as Raina and Scott pull up in front of them, Raina smiling from ear to ear.

"This is a nice ride." She said, turning the bike off.

"You don't look anything like a biker chick, especially wearing that outfit of yours. Definitely not what I would choose to wear." Edgar joked.

"You definitely don't have the legs." She said, smiling at him as she crawled off the bike. "Riding that bike has only made me want one more."

"Maybe I'll let you drive it again tomorrow, if you deserve it." Johnathan joked, getting on the back of the bike.

Raina nodded. She noticed Crosby walk up to her, holding her handbag out. She took it from him, smiling.

"Call me in the morning?" She asked.

"Definitely. Just not too early. I am looking forward to sleeping in a little." He said, as the two of them walked towards her car.

"You and me both. Sleep is my favorite thing to do in the world."

"Right up there with your car?"

"Exactly."

"And I really do think you should consider trying to get next weekend off." He said to her again.

She smiled.

"I will think about it, and see what I can do, but no promising anything."

He nodded, giving her a hug.

"Have a good night." He said to her. He watched her climb into her car, and then drive off. He walked over to where the rest of the guys were, waiting for him.

"What's wrong with you?" Mike asked when Crosby walked up to him.

"Nothing, why?"

"That goofy smile you have had on your face all night is gone now that she is gone."

Crosby laughed.

"She is one that you definitely don't want to let get away." Lacey said to him.

He sighed, looking in the direction that Raina's car had disappeared into. He couldn't help but agree with her.

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There you have it! PLEASE review!!! It's like candy to me. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Another day, another chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews so far. They give me the encouragement to keep writing! Please keep them coming!

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Crosby laid on the beach, watching as a few of the guys set up the volleyball net. He had spent most of the night anxious to see Raina again, and he couldn't wait until she arrived. They had stayed up most of the night texting each other, like they normally did, only he felt as if it wasn't enough anymore. He wished that she was there, not just on the phone.

His thoughts were interrupted by arms going around his neck. He turned to see Raina behind him, giving him a hug.

"There you are." He said, smiling at her.

"Traffic was awful coming out here. It's like everyone and their mom is heading to the beach."

"It's a gorgeous day. Don't blame them." He said.

He watched as Raina laid out her towel, saying hi to Lacey, who she was laying her towel down next too. She sat down, turning towards him.

"Want a drink?" He asked, offering her a bottle of water.

"Thanks." She said, graciously accepting it.

"How are you doing?" Lacey asked Raina.

"I'm doing great. How was your evening?"

"I passed out as soon as we got to the hotel. It was a long day."

Raina nodded, agreeing.

"I didn't get much sleep, but that isn't abnormal for me."

"Yeah, because you and Crosby were talking again all night." Scott said, coming up to them and taking a seat on one of the many lawn chairs.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"We share a room." Crosby said to her, smiling.

Raina shook her head, laughing to herself, taking her tank top off.

"I need help applying this to my back." She said to Crosby, taking out a bottle of sunscreen. He took it from her and started to rub it on her back.

"Ina, rumor has it you aren't coming next weekend." Andy said, coming up to them.

"I have to work." She said, looking up at him while Crosby rubbed the sunscreen in.

"Get out of it. We can call your work and make up an excuse if you want." He said with a smile.

"Yeah, that would go over well. When I go in tomorrow, I will see what I can do."

"What do you work this week?"

"Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday." She said. "I have Friday and Sunday off."

"What kind of place do you work at? How come you don't have a set schedule?" He asked her.

"It's a way for everyone to get a weekend off here and there. I actually enjoy it. I can ask off when I want, and still get my 40 hours a week. It's kind of nice."

"Well then ask off this weekend." Scott asked, smiling at her.

"Kind of hard to do when the schedule is already out. Not all of us are as lucky as you and only work so many months out of the year, and then get play the rest of the time."

"Yeah, we do have a nice gig, don't we?" Andy joked.

"Like I said, when I go in tomorrow, I will see what I can do. There may be some people that will be willing to switch schedules with me a little. A few people owe me favors. I can see if I can cash them in this week."

"And if it doesn't work, you let me know. I will convince them." Andy said, winking at her.

"I will be sure to let you know." She said, smiling at him.

Crosby finished rubbing the sunscreen in her back, and she proceeded to put it on her arms and face.

"Is it rubbed in fully on my face?" She asked him, looking at him.

He smiled at the glob of sunscreen around her nose, and he reached over and wiped it off.

"Now you look presentable." He joked.

She nodded, throwing her sunscreen into her bag.

"So, how do you feel about all of the people on the beach watching you guys?" Raina asked Crosby, glancing over at him.

"We get used to it, I guess."

She nodded, glancing around.

"It's kind of weird. You guys are being watched constantly."

He nodded.

"We don't go out much, but we try to do things like this every now and then. We try to live normal lives."

She glanced over at him.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were on a TV show?" She asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Kind of liked not being known as that guy on the crab fishing show." He said, being honest with her.

"You know I wouldn't have been like that."

He nodded.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to take that chance."

"I've known you since before you started fishing. Never once would I have said a thing."

He glanced over at her, and he could tell she was a little hurt by his dishonesty.

"I'm sorry. No more secrets." He said, smiling at her.

She nodded.

"Then tell me what goes on when you fish." She said with a grin.

"I'm guessing you haven't seen the show yet."

"Nope. I'm getting the DVD's from her tomorrow after work though."

He laughed.

"You aren't going to tell me, are you?"

"You just watch the show. It's hard to explain."

She eyed him, and he laughed at her.

"There is something you aren't wanting to tell me, and I wish I knew what it was."

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it." He said, laughing at her.

Raina watched him, then shook her head with a smile.

"Crosby! Come on! It's game time!" Mike yelled, holding onto a volleyball.

Crosby glanced over at Raina, and she waved him off.

"I'll watch." She said.

He nodded, standing up. Raina watched him leave, then she laid down on her stomach facing the volleyball game that was beginning.

"So, I never heard the whole story on how you two met." Lacey said to her.

"I have a family friend that lives up in Connecticut, and I did a friend search for him on Facebook. His name is very similar to Crosby's. Actually, eerily similar. His name is Crosby Levren."

"Yeah, that is very close." Lacey said, smiling.

"Well, I clicked on the wrong guy, and sent a friend request. After I did that, I realized my mistake, and sent this Crosby a message, telling him to ignore the friend request, I had the wrong guy, and apologized to him about it. I didn't want him to think I was some crazy ass stalker or something. I thought that would be the end of it, but he messaged me back, and we never stopped talking since then."

"So, you two really have been talking for years?"

"Yeah. Almost four years now." She said, glancing at Lacey.

"Have you ever thought about meeting him?"

She shook her head.

"It crossed my mind, but didn't think too much about it. I was just happy with the way things were. Plus, I was kind of afraid to meet him in person."

"Why do you say that?"

"I was afraid that we would get along so well in person, and that my feelings would get the better of me."

She nodded.

"I have become so obsessed with my phone though since talking to him. When he leaves to go fish, and I don't talk to him for weeks on end, I still check my phone, hoping there would be something from him, knowing that there will be nothing there."

"It's a habit that you don't want to break." She said, nodding.

"Exactly. I guess that was kind of the reason why I didn't want to meet him in person. How do you do it, being without Mike for months on end?"

"It's hard, I won't lie, but I knew what I was getting myself into when I married him. He is a fisherman. He loves what he does. I worry constantly when he is gone, and saying bye is very hard, but there is nothing like the feeling of when he comes home."

Raina nodded, glancing over at where Crosby and Mike were standing.

"Plus, it makes it worth it when you find the right guy to do it for, know what I mean?" She asked.

Raina nodded, smiling at Lacey.

"I really do hope you get to come next weekend. It'll be fun." Lacey said to her. "Plus, it'll be nice to have more girls around for when the guys are busy doing their stuff."

She smiled.

The rest of the day was spent out on the beach, and Lacey and Raina ended up joining in a game of volleyball. They grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and enjoyed a few drinks on the beach as well. The guys were definitely not going unnoticed, the occasional fan of the show stopping by to get pictures and autographs, which the guys were all more than happy to give them.

Later that night, everyone decided to head into Tampa to go to the Hard Rock Casino. Crosby and Raina headed to her house so she could change out of her outfit. When they walked in, they were immediately greeted by Honey, who was begging to be fed.

"Ignore her. She is definitely queen of the household." Raina said, setting her things on the counter.

"Where's the roommate?" Crosby asked, looking around.

"Probably working. She worked at the hospital as a nurse." She answered. "Make yourself comfortable while I take a quick shower to get the sand out of my hair."

"Well you shouldn't take a head dive into the sand then." Crosby joked.

"I don't consider it a head dive as much as being thrown into the sand." She said, then stuck her tongue out at him.

Crosby laughed. Raina walked into the bathroom to take a shower, and Crosby took the time to look at the many pictures that were in the living room. Most of the pictures belonged to Nicole, but there were pictures of Raina and Nicole together, and of Raina's family. She was the youngest in her family, he knew, and knew she had two older brothers. He saw pictures of her with her friends as well, and he immediately recognized Heather from the day before.

He walked around the house, and found Raina's room down the hall. He saw Honey in the window bathing herself, looking happy after finally being fed. He glanced at the room, and smiled to himself. He immediately thought the room described her personality perfectly.

"What are you looking at?" She asked, walking into the room. He turned to see her wearing nothing but a towel, her hair brushed, but still dripping wet.

"Who's the baby?" He asked, showing her the picture he was holding.

"That's my brothers little girl. Savannah Marie Jacobsen." She said, smiling. "That was taken a couple months ago. It's amazing how fast she is growing."

"So you're an auntie." He said with a smile.

"Yeah. I have one niece, and one nephew." She answered from her closet.

"Both of your brothers are married, aren't they?" He asked.

"My oldest brother, Jeremy, is. He is the one with both kids. My other brother, Ronnie, is engaged to be married here in a few months."

"Yeah, I think I remember you telling me that now."

"I was planning on going to see them here in a few weeks." She said. "I hate how they live so far away."

"How far away do they live?"

"My whole family lives in Iowa. I am the only one left down here in Florida."

"What made you decide to stay behind?"

"Felt as if Iowa was holding me back. Plus, I hated how my whole family, immediate and extended, surrounded me. I couldn't breathe." She said, setting a blue cocktail dress on her bed. "I like having a little bit of freedom."

"That makes sense, but it must be hard to not have family around."

"It definitely is, but I'm getting used to it. I mean, Nicole and I are both from Iowa. We grew up together. That makes things easier."

Crosby nodded, putting the picture back down on the shelf.

"Whose car is this?" He asked, when he saw a picture of Raina on the hood of a 1995 Ferrari.

"My ex boyfriends." She said, smiling. "I sure do miss that car."

He laughed.

"What? That car was the only reason why I was in that relationship." She joked.

Crosby put the picture back down, and then sat on her bed.

"When was the last time you went to the casino?" He asked her.

"Honestly? I have only been there once, and I lost all my money, because I had no clue what I was doing." She said, laughing. "I spent more time dancing than winning money."

"Did you play the slots, or the tables?"

"Slots. I can push a button easier than play cards." She said, starting to blow dry her hair.

"I thought you played cards all the time up in Iowa?"

"Yeah, with family. And we don't play poker or anything like that. We play stupid games like Bull Shit, or Crazy Eights." She said, watching him through the mirror.

"Bull Shit is a card game?" He asked, giving her a look.

"You have never played Bull Shit?" She asked, spinning around to look at him.

"Yeah, never heard of it."

"Oh, we are totally going to play. It's the best card game out there." She said, smiling. "I am the undisputed champ in my family when it comes to that game."

"You seem awfully proud of that." He said, smiling at her.

"Hell yeah. I never win anything when it comes to my family, but when it comes to that game, I do great. I am a great liar, and my family is not."

He just gave her a look.

"You will understand when I teach you the game. I'm sure I can talk some of the guys into playing at some point."

He nodded.

Raina quickly finished drying her hair. She then quickly put on a light layer of make-up , then took her dress into her closet to change quickly. When she emerged, Crosby couldn't help but smile.

The two of them headed back towards the hotel that Crosby was staying in so he could shower and change quickly before they were to head to the casino. They were all taking the bus that the Discovery Channel had rented to transport the large group of people.

"Well, don't you look nice." Scott said when the two of them entered the room.

"Why thank you." Raina responded with a smile.

Raina took a seat in one of the chairs while Crosby went to take a shower. She watched as Scott put on a white button-up shirt.

"So, you riding the bike to the casino?" She asked, smiling at him.

"I would, because I heard it's a nice drive there, however, I want to drink, and don't know the area very well. May just be smarter to take the bus."

She nodded.

"Did you invite some of your friends out?" He asked her.

"I talked to Heather and Jaime earlier, and they both were interested. Kelly couldn't come, since she had to work."

Scott made a face.

"Call them up. Tell them to get their asses here."

She laughed, grabbing for her phone out of her purse. She quickly dialed Heathers number to see if she was still coming or not.

"We just pulled up to the hotel. Where are you?" Heather answered.

"So you guys are coming. I never heard back from you, so I wasn't sure."

"It sounded like fun, so why not. Now where are you?"

"Room 401." She responded.

"We will be right up."

Raina hung up her phone, glancing over at Scott.

"They are here, and will be up in a moment."

"Are these friends of yours single by any chance?" He asked with a sly grin.

Raina laughed.

"Yes, they are." She said with a smile.

Crosby walked out of the bathroom right before they heard a knock on the door. Scott went to answer the door quickly to let Heather and Jaime into the room.

"Hello, ladies." Scott said, smiling at them.

"Heather, Jaime, this is Scott and Crosby." Raina said, introducing them. "You may remember Heather from yesterday."

"Yeah, Slick." Scott said, smiling at her.

"Drinks before we head out?" Crosby offered, opening the mini-fridge in the room.

Everyone agreed. He handed everyone a beer, then put on his black button-up shirt.

"You feeling lucky today?" Raina asked her friends.

"I have twenty dollars. When I run out, I'm out." Jaime said.

"Smart. I always spend a lot more than I should when I go to a casino." Crosby said, taking a drink out of his beer.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Scott went to answer it, and Raina saw Johnathan, Andy, and Neil standing there.

"Well, now we know where the party is at." Andy said, walking into the room.

After introductions to Jaime and Heather, the group started to head down to the bus, where mostly everyone else was waiting.

The drive to the casino didn't take nearly as long as they had thought it would, since they were all talking amongst themselves. Raina noticed Jaime and Heather sitting with Scott, Josh, and Jake, and she smiled to herself.

"What are you smiling at?" Crosby asked her quietly.

"Watching my two friends get hit on by your friends." She said with a smile.

He nodded, glancing over in their direction.

"They are definitely in for one hell of a night with those three."

Raina laughed.

When they arrived, everyone piled out of the bus and headed inside.

"I like the slot machines." Lacey said to Raina as they walked inside.

"Me too. Don't have to think as much." Raina joked.

They all headed towards the bar to get a drink first before starting to gamble. They then headed towards some slots not far from the bar, where Sig, June, Edgar, and Louise were all sitting.

"These have the cool music." Raina said, smiling.

"The cool music? I don't think I have ever heard of someone choosing a slot machine because it had cool music." Crosby said with a smile.

"It is a very highly scientific process, choosing the right machine. The music makes the machine." She joked.

She placed her bet accordingly, and then hit the button. The music started to play, and the group watched as she sat in her seat dancing to the music.

"What are you doing?" Edgar asked, flabbergasted.

"I'm dancing. It's why I gamble." She said, smiling.

"Most people do it to win money." He said, shaking his head, but smiling as he watched her continue to dance to the music being played.

"One of these times, my dancing will bring me luck." Raina said, hitting the button again.

"You are a strange one, that is for sure." Sig said, laughing.

Just then, Raina cheered.

"I won five bucks!" She said, grinning.

"Hey, she may have something to this dancing thing." Lacey said with a grin.

"Really, I just have no clue what I'm doing. I just hit the button, and hope that the amount of money I have left goes up, not down."

Lacey laughed at her.

Raina ran out of the money she had set aside for the evening, not wanting to blow all of what she had on the slot machines. Crosby and Raina made their way over to the black jack tables, where the Hillstrands, Keith, and Monty were all sitting. Crosby joined in the game himself, and Raina stood behind him, watching. She leaned against him, resting her chin on his shoulder, watching the game unfold.

"How are we doing over here?" Scott asked, walking up to the table with Heather in tow.

"Your dad is kicking our asses." Keith said, smiling.

"Where is Jaime?" Raina asked Heather.

"Hanging over there with Josh." She said, pointing in the direction of the bar.

Raina nodded.

"Did you lose your money already?" Heather asked her.

"Yeah, her dancing didn't bring her luck today." Crosby said, smiling at Raina.

"I have more fun dancing than actually betting."

"What do you mean, you dance?" Andy asked her.

"To the music playing on the slot machines. I sit and dance to it."

"I have to see this."

"I ran out of money guys, sorry to say." She said, making a face. She took a sip of her drink, glancing at Crosby.

"It is pretty comical." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Fine. I will put in another twenty bucks, and I will dance until it is gone again." She said, standing up.

The group all headed over to where Raina's favorite slot machine was, where Lacey and Mike were still sitting, and she put the money in. She immediately hit the button, then cursed at herself.

"I just bet the whole twenty bucks!" She said, looking upset. "Oh well."

She then started dancing in her seat at the music, Heather doing the same thing standing next to her.

"You look like you are on crack or something." Andy joked, laughing at her.

Just then, the sirens went off on the slot machine. Raina quit dancing, glancing at the machine, her mouth dropping open.

"I just won a thousand dollars!" She yelled.

"Holy shit! That dancing thing works!" Mike said, astonished.

"See, it is good luck." She said, smiling at her accomplishment. "Glad you guys wanted to see me dance."

She hit the button on the machine to cash out, getting her slip and holding it up proudly.

"Well, at least one of us won something." Andy said.

"Hey, I took all of your money, didn't I?" Johnathan asked his brother.

The large group left the casino late that evening, all tired from the day. Raina rested her head on Crosby's shoulder on the bus ride back to the hotel, sad that the day was ending.

"What time do you work tomorrow?" He asked her quietly.

"I don't have to be there until two." She said.

"What time are you done then?"

"Not until midnight." She said, making a face.

"You must hate those late nights."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"At least I get to sleep in tomorrow morning."

He nodded in agreement.

They pulled up to the hotel, and Raina said her good-byes to Heather and Jaime, who were both exhausted from the night.

"Are you going home?" Crosby asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Come up for a bit."

She nodded, and the two of them headed up to the room. Raina immediately sat on the bed, turning on the TV, while Scott and Crosby changed out of the clothes they were wearing.

"What time you guys heading to Orlando tomorrow?" She asked them.

"Hopefully not too early. I want to sleep." Scott said, crawling into bed.

Raina smiled, glancing over at Crosby. She motioned for them to leave the room, and he quickly put on a pair of shoes and they walked out of the room quietly, letting Scott get some sleep.

"I had fun this weekend." She said to him as they walked along the beach.

"Me too. You being here definitely made the weekend more enjoyable."

She smiled.

"Now you just need to come out next weekend." He said to her, eying her.

"I will definitely try." She said, smiling at him.

The two walked down the beach in silence, not knowing what to say to one another. They both had a lot on their minds, but didn't want to spoil the moment.

"I'm kind of sad to see you go." Raina finally said, breaking the silence.

He nodded.

"It was kind of the reason why I never really wanted to meet you." She honestly said.

"I have to agree with you."

She sighed, grabbing his hand.

"Fate had a different plan for us, obviously." He said with a smile.

She nodded.

Crosby stopped walking, turning to face Raina, and he leaned down and kissed her. It was soft at first, but slowly the kiss got more passionate, the both of them doing what they had wanted to do since they saw each other the day before.

"What was that for?" Raina asked quietly, holding him close to her.

"Just wanted to give you another reason to come next weekend." He said with a smile.

The two of them continued down the beach, hand in hand, for awhile longer before heading back to the hotel. When they arrived, Raina and Crosby crawled into bed quietly, not wanting to wake Scott in the bed next to them, and fell asleep in each other's arms.

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There you have it. PLEASE review! Tell me what you think. I look forward to seeing my e-mails to read the reviews! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you sooo much for the reviews! please remember, I own nothing. Keep on reviewing! I like to hear what you guys think about the story! :)

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"You better have a good excuse for not calling me this weekend to see how the car show went. What the hell happened to you?" Brandi asked, walking up to Raina when she got to work the next day.

"I was busy. It's been kind of a whirlwind of a weekend." Raina said, setting her purse in her locker.

"What happened? You need to spill."

"Turns out, I worked at the restaurant on Saturday for crab fishermen, one of which happened to be Crosby."

"You mean that guy you are always on the phone with?" She asked.

Raina nodded.

"Yeah right." Brandi said, smiling.

"That's what I said, but it's true." She responded, shrugging her shoulders.

"So you blew me off for Crosby?" She asked.

"No, I blew you off to make money, he just happened to be there."

Brandi smiled.

"So, anything happen?"

Raina just smiled.

"You slept with him?" Brandi asked, laughing.

"No, I didn't sleep with him, but he is a great kisser. Better than I had imagined." She said, smiling at her friend.

"So, when you going to see him again?"

"That's what I need to talk to you about." She said. "You are off on Saturday, and work on Thursday, before I come in. How would you like to switch?"

Brandi laughed at her.

"Come on. I have worked weekends for you in the past. This will be like you are paying me back."

"You are wanting to work a 16 hour shift to have a four day weekend?"

"It'll be worth it in the end." Raina said. "They all are in Orlando until next week, and I want to join them."

Brandi eyed her friend, crossing her arms.

"Please?" Raina begged, sticking her lower lip out.

"What do I get out of it?" She asked with a smile.

"I will clean your car for you?" She asked, smiling.

Brandi laughed.

"Fine, I'll do it. Just get it approved by the managers, and I'm in."

Raina screamed with delight, giving her friend a hug.

"I love you for this." She said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, yeah." Brandy said, laughing.

Raina went to work, keeping herself busy to try to not think about how excited she was about seeing Crosby again that weekend.

Later that night, she stopped by Kelly's house to pick up the DVD's from the show, and then went home to watch them. After she took a shower, she got herself a bowl of ice cream, and then put one of the DVD's in, from what Kelly said was their most recent season. Halfway through the first show, she heard her phone ring. She grabbed it, seeing it was Crosby, and immediately answered.

"Okay, so I am only halfway into one show, and have seen you once. You are insane!" She exclaimed, and she could hear him laughing.

"The show makes things seem more dramatic than they really are." He responded.

"Well, they have me hooked. I can't believe you do this for a living."

"It's good money. I am only doing it to get the money to do what I really want." He explained.

"And that is?"

"I want to own my own boat. Not to go crab fishing, but to fish other things. That is my ultimate goal in all of this."

"If you make it through each season until you reach that goal. No wonder why Lacey is so worried when Mike goes out. I would be sick to my stomach for weeks on end!"

"It really isn't that bad. Honestly. As long as I'm careful, and I trust the guys I work with, I am fine. Keith keeps a close eye on us."

"Alright, if you say so." She reluctantly agreed.

"How was your day at work?" He asked her.

"It was fine. Dragged on, which I have a feeling will happen all week. I do have some good news for you though."

"What is that?"

"Brandi switched shifts with me. I work a long ass day on Thursday, but I will have Friday through Monday off."

"I will have to remember to thank Brandi if I ever get to meet her." He said with a smile.

"I will be sure to tell her." Raina responded.

"So would you head over Thursday night, or on Friday?" He asked her, hoping she would say Thursday.

"Probably Friday morning, since I will be at work for sixteen hours straight. I will be exhausted." She replied. "However, watching what you guys do for hours on end, I really don't have much room to talk."

Crosby laughed at the comment.

"We'll see how I feel though. I may come out Thursday, I may not. I will let you know."

"Sounds good to me. Lacey will be excited to hear you will be joining us. She liked you."

"She is nice. I enjoyed hanging out with her."

"So, never did get a chance to ask you. What are your big plans with your winnings last night?"

"My car goes into the shop next week to get it painted. Already have it set up. I called this guy Brandon that Brandi knows, and already set up a time. I can't wait."

Crosby laughed.

"How did I know that you were going to say that."

"I am a woman who knows what she wants, and I want that car a different color. I've decided black and dark blue are the colors I'm going to go with."

"Seems fitting." He answered.

"So I have one more week with a baby blue car. Plus, I already found rims I want to get. So much nicer than what I have now. I will have to bring a picture of them with me when I come see you this weekend."

"Definitely."

"Anyway, I am going to get off this thing. I have to be at work soon actually. I thought about pulling an all nighter, but that would be bad for everyone involved."

"How much sleep you plan on getting?"

"I will be lucky to get two hours. I wanted to see this show though, so I decided to stay up, but I'm getting tired."

"What shift do you work tomorrow?" He asked her.

"7-3." She responded.

"Yeah, you have fun with that."

She laughed.

"Call me when you get done."

"Will do."

Raina hung up the phone, turning off her TV. She laid down, crawling under the covers, and stared at her clock. It said it was close to four in the morning, which meant she would have to get up in a couple hours to go to work. She never understood why she would get different shifts every day, but didn't try to complain. She figured there was a reason for it, so didn't say a word.

Thursday came faster than she had thought it would, and found herself counting down the hours until she was done for the day.

"So, what are your plans for the weekend?" Her manager, Sandy, asked.

"Going to some of the parks from what I understand. I know we're going to the Nascar race."

"Are you planning on driving to Orlando tonight?"

Raina glanced at the time on her computer screen. She had five hours left in her long shift, and she already felt herself getting tired.

"I would like to drive there tonight. I mean, I'm already packed and ready to go. I just don't know if I would make it to Orlando before falling asleep. I'm exhausted."

Sandy nodded.

"Have you placed the food order for the week?"

"That's my next thing to do." Raina said, tapping her pen on the clipboard that held the forms for the food order. She was in charge of ordering office supplies and the pet food.

Raina answered the phone call that was coming in at that moment. After telling the emergency to just make their way into the animal hospital, she forewarned the technicians that a dog that was hit by a car was on the way in, so they can prep things to be ready.

"If things don't get too crazy around here, I may just you leave early." Sandy said, smiling at Raina.

"Really?" She asked.

"Sure. Thursdays usually aren't that crazy of a night."

"You know you just jinxed it, right?" Raina said with a smile.

"Just start getting your things done, since you're off the next four days. I will worry about that."

Raina laughed, getting up from where she was sitting, then walked into the storage closet to start working on the food order. She quickly did the things she needed to do, and then helped the technicians help with the dog that got hit by the car, who wasn't bad off. He only had a broken leg, and was completely find otherwise, which his owners were grateful for, since they were the ones who accidentally backed the car over the dog.

Raina left the hospital at ten, only a couple hours before the end of her shift, but she was grateful for it. She immediately headed to Orlando, since she already had her bags in her trunk.

"I got off early, where are you at?" She asked when she arrived in Orlando.

"You're in Orlando?" Crosby asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah. My manager decided to finish my shift for me. She could tell my mind was not fully on the job, and decided to let me go early."

"We're at the hotel, in the bar downstairs." He said.

Raina got the directions to the hotel, and immediately headed towards where they were. When she got out, she grabbed her things and headed inside, being greeted by Scott when she walked in the lobby.

"Hey, you're here! I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow."

"Neither did I." She responded, smiling at him.

"Had anyone ever told you that you make scrubs look sexy?" He asked, glancing at her outfit.

"No, but I guess there is a first time for everything, huh?" She asked with a smile.

He laughed.

"Come on, I will take you to Crosby. He has talked about nothing but you coming here this weekend all week."

"I've been talking about it probably as much as him, so my friends know how you feel." She responded, smiling at him.

Scott led her into the bar that was off the main lobby, and Rain immediately spotted Crosby. He was sitting next to Josh, Mike, and Lacey at a table, and he smiled when he saw Raina walking their way.

"You made it." He said, smiling at her.

"Yeah. That's the good thing about traveling at this hour, no traffic." She said, giving him a hug.

"Plus, with the way you drive, you probably made it here in no time at all." Crosby joked.

"Speed demon?" Josh questioned.

"I use speed limit signs as guidelines. Doesn't mean I follow them." She said, setting her bag underneath the table, smiling at him.

"How many speeding tickets have you gotten?" Mike asked her, taking a sip of his drink.

"Not many actually. I am usually pretty good and spotting the cops. It's why I have the radar detector in my car." She sat on Crosby's lap, taking a sip of his drink that was sitting in front of him.

"What was the worst ticket you got?" Lacey asked her.

"I was going 105 in a 70." She said, honestly.

"Holy shit! Raina, can't you go to jail for going that fast?" She asked her.

"I'm sure I could have, but when I went to court for it, since my ticket only said mandatory court, the judge dropped the charges, and I got away with a small fine." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"How in the hell did you get away with that?" Lacey asked, astonished.

"I know how. She's a chick. She's got breasts, and flashed a smile and winked at him, and got out of it. It's why I wish I had my own set of breasts." Josh said.

Raina laughed at the comment.

"That wasn't the case in this particular instance." She said, smiling.

"Why do you say that?" He asked. "You know that's the reason you got off. It's why most women get away with shit."

Raina glanced over at Crosby, who was smiling as well, knowing exactly what Raina was not telling them.

"Then you explain to me how my boobs got me out of a possible jail sentence when my judge was a female."

Everyone was quiet at that moment, and Raina just laughed.

"It's because of my good record. I honestly haven't gotten many speeding tickets."

"I heard female judges are tougher than male judges." Mike said.

"This one was. She was a complete bitch. I got to sit in and listen to the other cases before mine, and I thought I was royally screwed after hearing what she was doing to everyone else. I just was very respectful, did what she told me, and I got lucky."

"So you were a kiss ass?" Josh asked, smiling.

"Hell yeah. She could have put my ass in jail. I would have hopped on one foot while quacking like a duck for her if that meant no jail time."

"Now that's a sight to see." Crosby joked.

"Question is, did you learn your lesson since then?" Scott asked, smiling at her.

"Not at all. That was when I got my radar detector."

"How long ago did that happen?" Lacey asked her.

"Over a year ago now. I just have a need for speed, I guess."

"Do you like Nascar?" Mike asked her.

"Love it. Jimmie Johnson all the way."

"Wow, used to hearing Junior as everyone's favorite." Mike said, shaking his head.

"He's got a soft spot in everyone's hearts because of his dad. That's about it. Johnson's a good driver, plus not bad on the eyes either." She said, smiling.

"Earnhardt is a good driver as well." Josh said to her.

"Didn't say he wasn't. Just saying that I like Johnson more." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"So, I'm guessing you wouldn't mind going to the race with us on Sunday then, huh?" Mike asked her smiling.

"Not at all."

"We get to meet the drivers before the race." Crosby said to her.

"Seriously?" She asked, getting excited.

"Wow, you got all excited at the sound of that." Scott said, laughing.

"I don't get star struck very easily, however, that would be pretty cool."

"How would you know if you get star struck? What kind of celebrities have you met, besides us, of course?" Mike asked, smiling a devious smile.

"I've met Bill Murray before. George Lopez is someone else. I've met some of the Tampa Bay Rays players, and some of the Buccaneer players as well."

"How did you meet Bill Murray and George Lopez?" Scott asked, curious.

"My cousin is a professional golfer, and sometimes, when I go to watch him, there are celebrities golfing with them. That's how I ran into them."

"This girl is full of surprises, huh Crosby?" Mike asked, smiling.

"You have no idea..." She said to herself quietly, smiling at Crosby.

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There you have it! PLEASE review! It gives me the encouragement to write more, and then update faster! hehe


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry it has taken so long for an update - things have been CRAZY for me lately. And they won't be stopping. As of today, I am officially on a 14 day vacation, and I will not be home much the next 14 days. I will try to write when I can, but I will be on a cruise for the majority of my vacation.

Thank you all so much for the reviews so far, but please don't stop reviewing! They make me happy. :)

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The next couple days flew by, and Raina found herself dreading the time when she had to say good-bye to Crosby. Neither one of them talked about the day they were to leave each other, but it was on the back of both of their minds constantly. Raina just tried to enjoy the time she had with Crosby, forgetting that reality was going come as soon as it had gone.

"These seats are amazing." Mike said from the clubhouse at the Nascar race.

"I can't believe I just met the drivers." Raina said, shaking her head.

"Be honest. What were you most excited about, meeting the drivers, or seeing the cars up close and personal?" Crosby asked her with a smile.

She grinned.

"The cars." She admitted.

"You are not normal at all." Lacey joked, laughing.

"Don't get me wrong. Meeting Jimmie Johnson was pretty cool, however, the fact that he let me sit in his car was even better. That picture is worthy of a spot on my wall."

Scott walked up to them at that point, handing Raina a beer.

"I can see you as a racecar driver." He said to her, taking a seat.

"That would be amazing, but never going to happen. The thought of it would put my mother in a coma. She freaked out when she heard I got my motorcycle license. I can just hear what she would have to say if she found out I was racing cars."

"Since when do you do what your mother tells you?" Crosby asked, eying her.

"I don't do a thing she says, I admit, but I don't want to put the poor woman in a coma."

He laughed at her.

"I love my mother to death, don't get me wrong, but there was a reason I moved from Iowa." She responded, sitting on Crosby's lap.

"So, what other stories do you have?" Josh asked, smiling at Raina.

"I don't know." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"She is related to a whole town in Iowa." Crosby said.

"How in the hell is that possible?" Mike asked, surprised.

"I'm not related to a whole town. More like half the town." She explained, shaking her head.

"How are you related to half a town?"

"I am from a small town in Iowa. A very small town. There is one stop light in the whole thing, and even with that stop light, there is really no point in it. It's a farming community. Very, very small." She said.

"Still doesn't explain much." Mike said, waiting for an answer.

She smiled.

"Well, in my immediate family there is just me and my two brothers. However, my mom, she is one of ten."

"What?" Everyone said at the time.

Raina laughed at the reaction.

"Yeah, my mom is number four of ten children. Her youngest sibling, my uncle, is actually only eighteen."

"Holy shit." Scott said.

"My grandmother, however, is only one of fourteen."

"Is that even possible?"

Raina laughed.

"My grandparents, and great grandparents, had no sense of self control." She joked. "So, with so many aunts and uncles, and great aunts and uncles, that produces lots of cousins, and so on and so forth. Let's just say, I didn't get away with much living in that town."

"How do you keep track of everyone in your family?" Lacey asked, astonished.

"I can't. There was a time, when I visited home this last time actually, where me and one of my aunts were walking down to the little food mart, and I spotted this guy walking down, and mentioned how cute he was. I was then told at that time he was my cousin. A second cousin, but a cousin none the less." She said, taking a sip of her beer.

"That's gross." Josh said, making a face.

"How does anybody meet someone to actually date there?" Lacey asked, intrigued.

"Neighboring towns. The school I went too was in town there, however, kids were bused in from four other towns, so we did meet people from outside our little Danish community."

"You're Danish?" Scott asked.

She nodded.

"100 percent. I make some of the best Danish meals around." She stated proudly.

"You will have to cook for us sometime." Mike said, smiling at her.

"If you ever come to my house, sure."

"Or, if you come to our house. Both places have a stove." He said.

She smiled at the comment.

Raina glanced down at where the cars were lining up. Johnathan and Andy were lucky enough to wave the starting flag, and she saw them climbing up to the podium. Crosby wrapped his arms around Raina, and she leaned into his chest, smiling to herself.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself down there." He said to her softly.

She nodded, smiling at him.

"Thanks for inviting me to come."

"I'm glad you are here." He said, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Raina laced her fingers with his, enjoying the moment.

Before they knew it, the race started, and Raina smiled at the sound of the engines roaring. She had been to car races before, but she always got chills when she heard the cars start their engines.

"What's that smile for?" Crosby asked her.

"Love the sound of the engines. It's a sound like no other."

Crosby laughed.

"Seriously. I love the sound of an engine. Any engine for that matter. It gets my blood pumping."

"Hey, Raina, come here." Lacey said.

Raina got up from where she was sitting and walked over to where Lacey was standing.

"So, what are you doing here in a few weeks?" Lacey asked.

"Probably working." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"We finally get to go home for a couple of weeks." She said, watching the cars drive by.

"I bet you're excited for that." Raina said, smiling at her.

"We are. I miss home. I love traveling, but it gets tiring after awhile."

Raina agreed.

"However, in a few weeks, CatchCon is going on in Seattle."

"What is that?"

"This huge event that Discovery Channel throws with the guys, and their fans. There are games, interviews, autograph signings, and tours of a couple of the boats. It's a pretty cool event."

Raina glanced at Lacey, wondering where she was going with the conversation.

"I think you should come out."

Raina shook her head.

"I don't know about that. Work can't be too happy with as much time as I have been asking off lately, and I have time that I already asked off coming up for my brothers wedding. I don't know how much more I can push my luck with them."

She nodded.

"It would be cool if you did come. When the guys are busy doing their thing, I can take you around town, to see Seattle. We can go shopping or something. The Wizard will be there for tours as well, so I'm sure Crosby can show you the boat. It will be a lot of fun."

Raina nodded.

"The offer still stands, if you change your mind." She said, smiling at her.

"Thanks." Raina said, staring off at the race.

Raina quietly sat in her seat, watching the race, deep in her thoughts. She would love to go to Seattle to hang out with Crosby, but knew that it was a long shot. She felt herself starting to get depressed with the whole situation, not knowing when, or if, she would ever see him again. It took close to four years to meet him for the first time. Who knew when she would see him again.

She felt arms go around her, which broke her from her thoughts, and she felt Crosby kiss her neck.

"You look deep in thought." He said to her, smiling.

"Just wondering why Johnson is sucking up the place." She lied.

"He's distracted by the thought of you in his car." He joked, taking the seat next to her.

"Usually I bring good luck."

"Yeah, you brought good luck to everyone else."

She elbowed him in the side, smiling.

"There is still time. He still may win it." She said, hopeful.

He watched her, smiling.

"Watch Jeff Gordon win." She said, shaking her head.

"That's who I am pulling for." He said, smiling.

"If it's not Junior, it Gordon." She responded, smiling.

They all continued to watch the race, and Raina even found herself thinking that Johnson was going to win, but ended up getting second place, behind Jeff Gordon. She wasn't too disappointed, since Johnson did come from behind, but wished that he ended up winning the race.

When they arrived back at the hotel, the group headed to the bar to have a couple drinks before calling it a night.

"So, what are your plans when you leave tomorrow?" Raina asked Crosby, sitting next to him at the bar.

"Heading home. I love traveling, but can't wait to see my family." He said. "When are you going back to Iowa?"

"In a couple of weeks." She said.

"Oh, so you are busy." He said, looking a little disappointed.

"Yeah, why?" She asked.

"I wanted you to go to Seattle with me."

"Oh, that CatchCon thing is in two weeks?" She asked him.

"How do you know about CatchCon?"

"Lacey was telling me about it."

He nodded.

"I told her I would think about it, but didn't think I would be able to get it off. Looks as if I already asked it off, but have plans already."

"Bummer. Would have been cool to have you there. I could have shown you the boat I work on."

"We will just have to do it another time then, huh?" She asked, smiling at him.

Just then, she heard her cell phone ringing. She glanced at the clock, confused as to who would be calling her so late in the evening on a Sunday, and then fished her cell phone out. She glanced at her phone and saw that her brother was calling her.

"What's up Ronnie?" She asked.

"Sorry to call you so late, but I wanted you to be one of the first to know the news, and you know how shit spreads like wildfires." He said to her.

"The main reason I left that town. What's up?"

"Hillary's pregnant." He said to her, talking about his fiancé.

"Are you serious?" She yelled, excited.

"Yeah. We just found out. We weren't really planning on having kids until after the wedding, but I guess God had different plans." He responded. She could tell he was nervous about the news, but excited at the same time.

"I'm so happy for you two. I will be there in a couple weeks though, so we can talk then. I am actually out with a friend right now."

"No problem. I just wanted you to know before the family starts calling."

"Thanks." She said. She hung up the phone, then took a sip of her drink.

"What?" Crosby asked her.

"Ronnie and his fiancé are expecting a child." She said, not looking at him.

"That's good news, right?"

"Yeah." She said, unenthusiastically.

"You aren't a good liar." He said to her, smiling.

"I don't know. I just get like this at times." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

He watched her quietly, waiting for her to go on.

"I really am happy that my brothers found the one, and are starting their families. I really am." She said. "I just feel left behind at times."

"Is that what you really want? Is to settle down? You never pegged me as the type."

She shook her head.

"You are too free spirited to be tied down already. I see it happening sometime in your life, but do you see yourself having kids right now?"

She didn't say a word.

"Look, let's not let that phone call ruin our last night together. We were having such a great day."

She sighed, finishing her drink.

"I'm tired." She said, standing up. "Let's go upstairs."

He nodded, finishing his drink as well. They said their good-byes to everyone else, and then headed up to their room. When they got inside, Raina set her purse on the chair, then started to go through her bag for something to change into to sleep in.

"I can't believe the weekend is over already." Crosby said, taking his shirt off.

"I thought you and I agreed on the first day to not talk about that." She said, smiling at him from where she was at.

"We did, but it's hard to not think about it."

Raina shook her head, climbing across the bed towards him, and then kissed him.

"I agree, but we will see each other again. You can't get rid of me that easily." She joked.

He laughed at the comment, kissing her again.

Raina quickly changed into a tank top and shorts, then climbed into bed, turning on the TV. Crosby climbed in next to her, putting his arms around her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I really am glad that we did finally meet up." She said to him after a long silence.

"Me too." He said. "Even if it was by accident."

She smiled.

"Nothing is ever going to be the same." She added quietly.

He ran his fingers through her hair, then kissed her forehead.

"Why do you have to live so far away?" She asked softly.

Crosby sighed at what she said, choosing not to comment. He couldn't help but think the same thing.

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There you have it! PLEASE tell me what you think! :)


	7. Chapter 7

I had some time to write more before I left for my vacation. I wanted to post this before I left for the airport to pick up my friends. I will be cruisin' in the Bahamas for the next week! Sooo excited!!!

Thank you so much for the reviews so far! I LOVE to read what you have to say! Please keep them coming! It will make my vacation even better! :)

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Raina drove down the road in the rental car, heading towards her parents house. She had arrived in Iowa for the four day weekend, and she felt herself wishing that the weekend was over. She wasn't looking forward to the trip nearly as much as she normally would, and hoped that the weekend would fly by.

She pulled up to her parents house that was on the edge of the town, and parked her car in the long driveway. When she crawled out of her car, the family dog, Fenway, ran up to her to greet her. She patted him on the head, then went to the trunk to pull her suitcase out. She then headed towards the house. She let herself inside, since she knew that it was never locked, and was immediately greeted by the smells of her mothers cooking.

"Hey." Raina said, smiling at her mom as she walked into the kitchen.

Cathrine, Raina's mother, smiled at her daughter when she saw her.

"How was your trip?" She asked her.

"It was fine. Uneventful. What smells so good?" She asked.

"Making Danish stew for the dinner tonight." She said.

Raina nodded.

"Where is dinner at tonight?"

"Here." She answered.

Raina nodded.

"You should make your Aebleskiver that everyone loves so much for the dinner." She suggested, talking about a traditional Danish dessert that Raina specialized in making.

"Maybe."

"You excited about being an aunt again?" She asked her.

Raina smiled.

"I am. They sure aren't wasting any time getting their family started, are they? They couldn't even wait until the wedding."

Cathrine frowned at the comment.

"If I do recall, he's not the only one that started having kids before marriage."

Raina ignored the comment, going to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water.

"What has been going on with you lately? You never call anymore. When I call you, you don't say anything about your life down in Florida. You are so distant from us anymore."

"Because there is nothing going on. Hoping to go back to school soon. Work is going really well."

"So, no boyfriend yet?"

Raina shook her head.

"This is why I didn't want you to move away from here. You need to find yourself someone. I never will understand what happened between you and…"

"Mom. Seriously. I thought I told you I never wanted to talk about that again." Raina snapped.

"I just don't understand it, that is all. I just don't want to hear you complaining about being single."

"Am I complaining about it? No. You are the one that brings it up every time I am here. Can we please just stop?"

Cathrine looked at her daughter.

"I'm going over to Jeremy's." She said, grabbing her keys.

"Don't be out too long. Dinner will be ready before you know it."

"It won't start without them, right?" She asked, glancing at her mom.

"No. Just hurry back."

Raina walked out of the house, frustrated. It was a conversation that went on between her mother and herself every time they talked, which is why Raina rarely called home anymore. She couldn't deal with the situation anymore, and chose to avoid it, then deal with it.

Raina got into her car, and heard her phone ringing when she started it. She fished her phone out of her purse, and smiled when she saw it was Crosby calling her.

"How was your trip?" He asked her when she answered.

"Uneventful, but I feel as if I am so very far away from civilization. And of course, as soon as I see my mom, she starts an argument immediately."

"What about?"

"Nothing important." She said, not wanting to talk about it. "It is why I don't even like coming home anymore."

"What are you doing now?"

"Heading over to my brother's house to see him, and my niece and nephew. Those two kids are about the only reason I still come back to this awful town."

"It can't be that bad."

"I will have to bring you here sometime. You need to witness it firsthand." She said, laughing to herself. "But anyway, you in Seattle yet?"

"I'm at the airport waiting for my flight." He said. "Which is very boring, I may add."

"That's what I hate most about flying, is doing it alone. I try to make conversation with the person next to me, but mostly I get the cold shoulder, or headphones in the ears, which signals me to leave them alone. I figure, it's their loss. I could make the flight go by faster, instead of watching the time, and being bored the whole time."

Crosby laughed.

"Anyway, I am at my brothers house. You have a safe flight, and text me when you make it to Seattle."

"Will do. Have fun."

Raina turned off her phone, and then headed inside her brothers house. She was immediately greeted by the sound of a crying baby, and her nephew, Seth, screaming at the TV.

"Sounds like a mad house in here." Raina said, smiling as she walked into the living room.

"Hey, you're here!" Jeremy said, smiling at his sister. He walked over and gave her a hug. Seth screamed at the sight of his aunt, and ran onto the couch and dove into Raina's arms.

"I missed you little one." Raina said, giving her nephew a hug.

"Did you bring me anything?" He asked her.

"Seth, that's not nice." Rachel, Jeremy's wife, scolded.

"You're gift is at grandma's." Raina said to him quietly.

Seth smiled at the comment, and then ran away from her.

"What's going on with Miss Savannah." Raina said, walking over to Rachel and the crying little girl.

"I just changed her, which causes her to cry for awhile. She will calm down in a minute. How was your trip up?" Rachel asked her.

"It was fine."

"Already been to Mom's?" Jeremy asked his sister.

"Yeah." She responded with a look on her face.

"I'm guessing it went just as well as normal."

"You know her. Always has to start an argument."

"She never does with me." Jeremy said, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's because you are considered the perfect child." Raina sarcastically responded.

"Far from it, sis." He said, laughing at the comment.

"So, who is this Crosby guy that is all over your facebook page?" Rachel asked with a smile.

"Just a friend." She responded.

"Looks like he's a little more than just a friend." Jeremy said, smiling at her.

"You guys are nosy."

"Then don't post pictures up online of him. You know we are watching you. You never call and tell us anything, so that is the only way we can keep up with what is going on in your life."

Just then, Raina heard the front door open, and she saw her other brother Ronnie walk into the room.

"I thought I saw an unfamiliar car drive through town! When I didn't see it at mom's, I knew I'd find it here!"

Raina smiled at her brother as he made his way over to her to give her a hug.

"How long have you been in town?" He asked her.

"Not long. You were my next stop." She said to him.

"I should always be your first stop. I'm insulted that you never come to see me first."

"If it makes you feel better, I only come to see Jeremy first because of Seth and Savannah." She responded with a smile.

"Thanks, Ina, thanks." He said, laughing.

"So, what are we talking about?" Ronnie asked, taking a seat in the recliner.

"How Raina is this huge stranger to us, and if it wasn't for facebook, we wouldn't know what in the hell was going on with her."

"Yeah, who's Crosby?" He asked.

"Supposively he is just a friend, but I'm not buying it." Jeremy answered.

"Bull shit he is just a friend. Isn't he the guy that you are always texting whenever you are here?"

"Yes, he is, but he is just a friend."

"I'm sorry, but there is no way that a guy would constantly talk to someone over the phone if there weren't ulterior motives behind it." Jeremy said. "And I know, because I am a guy."

"Where does he live again?" Ronnie asked.

"Vermont."

"So did he come to see you, or the other way around?" Rachel asked her.

"We actually ran into each other in Florida, while I was working at the restaurant."

"Yeah right." Ronnie said.

"Seriously. We ended up spending that whole weekend together, and the weekend after."

"Just friends, eh?"

"What?" She asked.

"It's us. It's not Mom or Dad. Just spill." Jeremy said with a smile.

"So there are some feeling there, so what? I live in Florida, and he lives in Vermont. How is that going to work out?"

"Plans to see him again?" Rachel asked as she put Savannah in her swing.

"He did ask me to go to Seattle with him this weekend, but other than that, that was the only time we talked about getting together again."

"And why didn't you go?" Ronnie asked.

"Because I have plans to try on dresses for your wedding this weekend."

"Screw that. You should go to Seattle. I would go to Seattle."

Raina rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"We can move the fitting to tomorrow morning, and we can get you a flight to Seattle tomorrow afternoon!" Ronnie suggested, getting excited with his plan.

"You guys, I can't afford a plane ticket to Seattle. Last minute tickets are outrageous."

"Let us worry about that." Jeremy said.

"You can't be serious." She said.

"I think it's a great idea." Rachel said, shrugging her shoulders.

"But, I am here to see you guys."

"You will be here for a week next month for the wedding. We can spend time together then." Ronnie said. "Now, I will talk to Hillary about rescheduling the fittings. Jeremy, can you take care of the ticket?"

"Already on it." He said, sitting at the computer.

"You guys! Who said I even wanted to go?"

"You never said you didn't, and you had this dumb smile on your face ever since we suggested it. You are going."

"Mom and Dad are gonna' be pissed."

"Dad won't be mad. Mom will get over it." Ronnie said. "And since when do you care about what Mom thinks? You got so much pleasure in her irritation when you moved to Florida, you actually moved up the date to leave."

"Yeah, that was kind of fun." She said with a smile as she remembered the memory.

"Your flight is booked." Jeremy said. "You leave tomorrow at three. You will get there very late, but at least you will be there."

"You guys are unbelievable."

"You just now owe me a very nice wedding present." Ronnie said with a smile.

"And you just owe me a favor to be named at a later date."

"Deal." She said, smiling.

Just then, Raina heard her phone ring, and she glanced to see it was her mother calling.

"Where are you?" She asked.

"I told you I was at Jeremy's."

"You need to come home. Tell your brother to come too. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Yes, ma'am." She responded.

Raina hung up the phone, rolling her eyes.

"Our mother is requesting our presence for dinner."

"I will go home and get Hillary. I will see you over there in a bit." Ronnie said, getting up.

Raina watched as her brother left, and then helped get the kids ready to head over to her parents house. When they all arrived, Raina saw her Dad, Neil, sitting on the couch, and she smiled at the sight of him.

"How's my baby girl doing?" He asked, smiling at her.

"I'm doing fine. How are you, papa dukes?" She asked, giving him a hug.

"I'm fine. Just got in from the fields with Al." He said, talking about his brother.

"I can't wait to have some sweet corn." Raina said, her mouth salivating at the thought of it.

"Everything is going great so far. Hope we aren't in for another drought like last year."

"I'm sure things will be fine." She said, smiling at him.

"Raina, honey, can you help set the table?" Cathrine asked from the kitchen.

Neil smiled at his daughter as she got up to help her mom in the kitchen.

"Savannah is getting big." Raina said to her mom, making conversation.

"Yeah. She has the greatest smile, doesn't she?"

Raina nodded, smiling.

"How is that job of yours going?" She asked her daughter.

"It's going very well. I really enjoy what I do."

"That's good." She said.

"Mom, you know that me moving had nothing to do with you, right?" Raina said after a long silence.

"I know, I just feel as if you don't want to be a part of this family anymore."

"You know that is not true. I love all of you very much. I just needed to do something for me. I needed to get away from everything that was this town. You know I wasn't happy here."

"But running away from your problems don't help either. All they do is wait for you for when you get back."

Raina nodded.

"I love you so much Raina. I just want to see you happy. And if you are truly happy down in Florida, then I am happy for you."

"I am happy right now, Mom."

Cathrine smiled, giving her daughter a hug.

"Why can't we start my visits home with this, and not with an argument?" Raina asked, giving her mom a small smile.

"Because it wouldn't be tradition if we did." She joked.

Raina laughed at the comment. It was times like that she wished happened more often. Unfortunately, the two of them argued more than they got along anymore. It wasn't always like that, but for some reason, Raina always felt as if her mom was disappointed in her. It was one reason why she never wanted to come back home, because she was reminded of all the disappointments in her life. All she ever wanted to do was forget about the past.

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There you have it! PLEASE review! Send me on vacation with some warm fuzzies! :)


	8. Chapter 8

SO sorry about the dealy in updates! Vacation was great, and then things went CRAZY when I got back (both in good and bad ways) and have not had the time to write at ALL. And then when I did, I'd have the WORST writers block. Here it is, though, finally. It's not my favorite chapter, but had to do a filler to get things ready for what's to come.

Please tell me what you think! Love to hear what you have to say!

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Raina grabbed her bags in baggage claim, and then walked out of the airport to look for the familiar face that was to pick her up there in Seattle. After the long day she had, she had finally made it. She had argued with her mother for hours about the trip, and finally she just left, figuring she would let her mom cool off so that she could talk to her about it later.

"Raina, over here!" She heard someone yell.

Raina turned to see Lacey standing by her car, waving in her direction. She smiled and walked over in her direction.

"You made it." She said with a smile.

"For awhile there, didn't think I would. Between my mom having a fit, and the delay with the flight, I was starting to think it wasn't meant to be."

"Of course it was. Crosby is gonna' be so surprised to see you."

She smiled.

"Mike and I haven't said a word to him. He still has no clue you are coming."

"Perfect."

Raina quickly put her bags in the trunk of the car, and then the two of them climbed in.

"Where are they all at right now?"

"CatchCon." She said. "It's going in full swing right now. They all are busy."

Raina nodded.

The two girls headed toward the docks where the event was held. Immediately Raina saw the mass amount of people, and her jaw dropped at the sight.

"This is insane." She said, looking around.

"Nothing like the gathering in Florida. Plus, there are tours of the boats."

Lacey parked the car and the two girls headed towards the boats. They were greeted by Mike immediately as they came up to the Time Bandit.

"I was starting to wonder if you were coming." Mike said, smiling at Raina.

"My flight was delayed, but I made it." She said, smiling.

"I thought Crosby said you weren't coming." Scott asked her, leaning against the side of the boat.

"Plans have changed." She replied with a grin.

"Well, they have a large crowd on their boat right now, so come on board, and we will show you around ours first." Mike said, motioning for Raina to come on the boat. Lacey led the way up the ramp onto the boat with Raina close behind. She looked in the direction of the other boats, in hopes to see Crosby, but the amount of fans made it difficult.

"The inside of the boat is a lot smaller than you realize on TV." Raina said, glancing around during the tour.

"Yeah, try living on it." Scott joked.

"I bet the smell on this boat is amazing during fishing season." Raina said, eying Mike and Scott.

"We smell like roses." Mike said, standing proudly.

"Yeah right. You guys can clean as much as you want, but I can still smell the stench of last fishing season."

"It smells like home to me!" Mike said with a smile.

Raina looked over at Lacey, who just shook her head.

"Honestly, don't even notice it anymore. You get used to it after awhile."

"Glad I don't have to worry about getting used to it." Raina muttered to herself.

"Come on. Lets get over to the Wizard so you can see Crosby. You didn't fly all the way out here to hang out with these goons." Lacey said, smiling at her husband.

"Crosby is just a cover-up. She knows we are the real reason she came out here." Mike joked with a smile.

Raina laughed as Lacey led her out of the wheelhouse of the boat. She walked out on deck and took a deep breath of fresh air. She looked around, taking in the sights, looking to see if she saw Crosby, but she had no luck.

The two girls got off the Time Bandit, and then headed down the docks, passing by the Northwestern, to get to where the Wizard was docked. When they arrived, they followed the crowd onto the boat, where they were greeted by Travis.

"Hey Lacey. What are you doing over here?" He asked, smiling at the two of them.

"Brought Raina over to see Crosby. Where's he at?"

"Up in the wheelhouse giving a tour." He answered. "I thought Crosby said you weren't able to make it this weekend?"

"Surprise." She answered, smiling.

He smiled in response.

Lacey and Raina headed up to the wheelhouse where they passed a group of people leaving. Once the coast was clear, Lacey walked inside with Raina following close by, and Raina immediately saw Crosby talking to a couple of fans. The two girls stood quietly while they waited for him to finish. When the group left him, Raina watched Crosby turn away from them, not realizing they were standing there.

"So, who runs this boat anyway? It's a sorry excuse for a business." Raina joked, trying to get his attention.

Crosby turned, a scornful look on his face, but a smile immediately crossed his face when he saw Raina.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" He asked, surprised.

"I wanted to surprise you." She said, giving him a hug.

"Well it worked." He said, giving her a soft kiss.

"He's been all mopey all weekend. I was about ready to beat him." Gary Soper said, smiling.

"I have not been mopey. Quit lying." Crosby said, laughing.

"I can't believe you guys are using the word mopey right now." Raina joked, pulling down Crosby's cap in his face.

"Would you like an official tour of the boat?" He asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me." She said, and then followed Crosby out of the wheelhouse.

The end of CatchCon came shortly after Raina had gotten there, since she had gotten there so late in the evening. Crosby took Raina out to eat at a restaurant right on the water where they could spend some time alone, away from the rest of the guys.

"How was time with the family?" He asked her as the waiter walked away from taking their food order.

"It was alright. I managed to avoid everyone with the exception of my immediate family."

"You don't like your family?"

"Never said that at all. I just got out of having to explain a hundred times what is going on in my life. I will deal with that next month at the wedding. Plus, my family really aren't the problem. It's everyone else in town."

"How long will you be in Iowa for the wedding?"

"I get there on a Thursday, then leave 12 days later. I am taking a long, well deserved, vacation."

"For talking about not being around your family a lot, you sure seem excited for being surrounded by then for twelve days."

"I enjoy the company of them, I really do. I may complain about them a lot, but I guess it is not all true. I do miss them at times. They just like to smother me. That's when I start to get annoyed."

He nodded.

"So I'm sure, since you have had such a huge family, you have been to many weddings. What is a typical wedding like in your family?"

She smiled.

"The wedding is very formal. A traditional Danish wedding. However, the reception is one huge party. Lots of drinking, and lots of dancing. And believe me, you will not go home hungry. We definitely know how to put together a great dinner spread."

He laughed.

"You will see some of my relatives playing cards away from the dance floor, and others on the dance floor booty shaking it up."

"Let me guess. The younger crowd is on the dance floor, and your older relatives playing cards?"

She shook her head with a smile.

"My grandmother on my mom's side shakes her booty better than I do." She grinned. "And my fifteen year old cousin is the reigning bullshit champion."

"There's that game you were talking about before again. You said you were going to show me how to play it, and never did."

"Oh, we are totally getting a bullshit game going either tonight or tomorrow. I just can't believe you have never played the game."

"Nope, never heard of it."

"You lead such a sheltered life." She joked, throwing a piece of the bread she had in her hand at him.

He laughed in response.

"So what are your plans after this weekend?" She asked Crosby as their food arrived.

"Just going home. I have no plans until I leave for salmon season in a couple months."

"I'd ask you if you want to join me in Iowa, but I don't know if I'd want to subject you to that torture." She joked.

"Why do you call it torture?"

"It's a small town with one stop light. There is nothing exciting about my old town. Just a bunch of corn fields and cow pastures." She stated, shrugging her shoulders.

"I would love to go." He said, watching her.

She choked on the sip of water she was taking.

"Seriously?" She asked.

"Yeah, why not?"

"I didn't think you would even be interested in going there."

"I've heard you talk about it for how long now. I'm intrigued to see where you lived."

She watched him, wondering if he was being serious.

"Then you can come with. You can be my date to the wedding." She said with a smile.

He smiled at her.

The two finished eating, and then headed towards Mike and Lacey's house, since they were staying there with them.

"How was dinner?" Lacey asked.

"It was enjoyable. What's going on in here?" Raina asked, sitting down on the couch next to Lacey.

"Just watching some TV."

"I want to play this bullshit game." Crosby said.

"I love that game!" Mike yelled.

"You've played it? Am I the only one who has not heard of it."

"I told you you were sheltered."

"It is time to play." Mike said, going to grab a deck of cards. The four of them then went to the dining room table as Mike started to hand out the deck of cards.

"Okay, the game is simple. We start with Ace's, and make our way up. The first person puts down as many Ace's they have. If they don't have any, they lie, saying they have some. If you think they are lying about how many of the particular card they have, you say bullshit. If you are right, the person who lied gets the whole stack of cards in the pile. If you are wrong, you get the stack of cards in the pile. First person out of cards, wins." Raina explained.

"Alright." He said.

Raina sorted her hand quickly.

"I will start. I have two Aces." She said, setting down the two cards she had.

"So I have to say bullshit?" He asked.

"No. Only if you think I'm lying. Nobody has to say bullshit throughout the whole game, however, that is no fun." She said with a smile.

"Fine. Then I have 1 Ace." He said.

"No, you have to put down how many 2's you have." She said, picking up the card and giving it back to him.

He nodded, setting down one 2.

Lacey put down two 3's, and then Crosby set his hand over the pile to keep Mike from going.

"Are we allowed to consult with one another?" He asked.

"If you want to be a cheater." Raina responded with a smile.

He made a face, as if he was deciding on whether or not to call Lacey out, but decided against it. Mike went with his turn, and Raina did the same, and they all watched as Crosby look at his hand, then set down a couple cards.

"Bullshit." Mike, Lacey, and Raina all said at the same time.

"How'd you know?" He asked, grabbing for the pile.

"You hesitated. You need to know what you are putting down before your turn even comes up. It was very obvious you didn't have the cards." Lacey said, laughing.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Mike got up to answer it as Lacey put down the next set of cards.

"What you guys doing?" Scott Hillstrand said, walking into the room.

"Playing Bullshit." Lacey said, smiling.

"I haven't played this game in years."

"Crosby is a Bullshit virgin, and we are popping his cherry today." Mike joked.

"So far, I'm getting my ass kicked." He said, shaking his head.

"I can tell. Nice little stack you have there."

"Yeah, I'm just getting my groove with this game. I think I am getting the hang of it now." Crosby said, sorting through his hand. "And I can tell now that people have been lying."

Raina smiled at Crosby, taking a sip of the beer that sat in front of her.

The game proceeded, and a couple games later, Crosby found himself to have most of the deck in his hand, and he seemed a little frustrated.

"What's wrong Cros? You look a little upset." Scott said, smiling from his seat.

"Just trying to get my cards straight." He said, concentrating.

"Looks as if you may be defeated." Raina said with a sly smile.

"Never." He responded.

Raina heard her phone ring, and she glanced to see that Nicole was calling her.

"While Crosby sorts his cards, I am going to take this." Raina said, standing up. She walked out of the room, where everyone was laughing and joking, and answered the phone call.

"What's up?" Raina asked.

"When will you be home?" Nicole asked, sounding annoyed.

"I come back on Monday. Why?"

"Your cat is driving me insane. I don't want to deal with her anymore."

"I'm sorry. Take her to work then."

"So I have to do the dirty work for you? I am not your pets chauffeur."

"Nicole, I wanted to take Honey to work in the first place, but you insisted on watching her for me. Why are you being like this?"

"She keeps vomiting up hairballs everywhere. I can't deal with this. I feel as if I am taking care of a child. If I wanted this, I would have a kid of my own."

"Then take her to work, or lock her up in my room. I can't do anything about this now. I am across the country right now."

"Iowa is not across the country."

"I'm in Seattle."

"What, now you're lying to me?"

"Plans changed. Nicole, I can't deal with this right now. I am going to go. We will talk when I get home."

Nicole hung up on Raina, and she stared at the phone not understanding where the sudden outburst had come from. She glanced at the group in the kitchen who were talking amongst themselves.

"Raina, what's going on out there?" Crosby asked. "I am ready to finally win a game at this."

Raina walked back into the dining room and sat down in her seat.

"What's wrong with you?" Lacey asked, glancing across the table at Raina.

"The roommate just freaked out on me, and I'm not sure why. It came very out of nowhere."

"Maybe she was in a bad mood, and something set her off?" Mike said.

Raina shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't let her ruin your night. She's not worth it. What we should be talking about is the dinner you had promised you'd make us if you visited Seattle." Mike said with a smile.

Raina laughed at the comment.

"You really want me to make a meal?"

"Yeah! I want to see how good you can cook."

"Alright. Then I will go to the store and get some things, and make you guys one of my specialties."

"What are you going to make?" Crosby asked.

"I will make it a surprise. You better come and join us for dinner tomorrow." She said to Scott.

"I just may have too."

"Will there be dessert?" Mike asked.

"Mike." Lacey sternly said to the comment.

"Of course there will be dessert. What meal is complete without it?" She said with a smile.

"Now I can't wait for tomorrow." Mike said, smiling.

"I'm not. That means that I would leave the next day." Raina said with a frown.

"Well we will have to get your ass back up here then, won't we?" Crosby responded.

"What, does that mean you will come out here to visit us more often?" Scott asked.

"I just may." He answered.

"Hey, Raina, you need to come around more often. We may just see this sorry ass more than just up in Dutch, and for Discovery events." Mike said to her.

"Yeah yeah." Crosby said, waving his hand as if to shrug the comment away.

Raina couldn't help but smile. She wanted nothing more than to do exactly what Mike suggested.

* * *

There you have it. PLEASE review! It gives me the will to write more, and helps with my writers block! Hopefully there won't be a long time before my next update. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Another day, another update. Things are about to get hairy in the story. PLEASE tell me what you think! Love to hear your opinions! :)

* * *

Raina stood in front of the fish in the grocery store inspecting them, concentrating on what she wanted.

"What exactly are you making?" Lacey asked, looking at the fish with her.

"Scalloped Salmon." She said, then pointed to some of the salmon. "I want to get two pounds of that." She added to the butcher waiting for her order.

The gentleman standing behind the counter started to put her fish together as Raina looked at the fish some more.

"I want to get about a pound of herring as well." She added.

"What's the herring for?" Lacey asked.

"One of my favorite Danish salads that my grandmother taught me to make. It's amazing."

Lacey nodded.

Raina thanked the butcher as he handed over the fish, and she set it in her cart and started to walk towards where the spices were.

"Now, I am sure that you have some of the stuff I am going to pick up, however, I have found that if I don't use a certain kind, the dish doesn't taste right." Raina said, looking at the aisle for some of the specific ingredients she was looking for.

"Understandable." She said.

"However, if I pick up something you know you have the same exact of, let me know." She added.

Lacey nodded.

"Anybody you know allergic to anything I should know of?"

Lacey shrugged her shoulders.

"Why do you ask?"

"I have made this Apple-Crumb cake before for some friends, not knowing they were allergic to coconut, and that was a bad sight."

Lacey laughed.

"I'm sure it wasn't. I don't think anybody is allergic to coconut."

Raina nodded.

"I am very intrigued in what you are about to feed us." Lacey said, watching Raina put some spices into her cart.

"I am making one of my favorite Danish dishes, with my absolute favorite Danish dessert. I want to make Aebleskiver, but have to have a special pan for that."

"Aeble what?" Lacey asked, laughing.

"Aebleskiver. It's this Danish dessert that is so good. It's kind of like a doughnut, but better." She explained. "I make the best Aebleskiver in the county I am from."

"Do you now?" Lacey asked, smiling at Raina.

"Yup. At the county fair, I entered a contest every year, and I won every year I entered."

"Well, next time you come up, you should bring the pan with you. I want to try this apple thing."

Raina laughed.

"Aebleskiver. Actually has nothing to do with apples."

Lacey just shook her head, laughing.

"Just need to get some potatoes, apples, and fresh mushrooms, and then I will have everything I need."

"Sounds good to me."

The two girls headed to the produce section, and grabbed the last of the items Raina needed for the dinner, and then checked out. Once Raina paid for everything, they headed towards the house to get started on dinner.

"How long does it take to make?" Lacey asked on the way back to the house.

"Prepping takes the most time. The Salmon takes about an hour, the salad just as long, but needs to go in the refrigerator for a couple hours before I can serve it, the potatoes about an hour. The cake doesn't take any time at all. It actually really isn't a cake, and takes no time to bake, since it never hits the oven. I will probably make that as everything is finishing, so it is ready to eat when we are done eating."

"I want to learn to make a new dish. If it's good, I want to make it again."

"Definitely. I just hope you all like it."

"I'm sure we will. I know Mike will. He eats anything and everything."

Raina smiled.

Lacey pulled up to the house and the two of them grabbed the bags full of groceries and brought them in the house.

"It's like you are feeding an army." Crosby said when he saw the amount of groceries the two of them brought in. He gave Raina a kiss in greeting before taking the bags from her to help take everything out.

"Well, I am feeding all of us, and then Scott and his new girlfriend."

"Oh, Jake and Josh are coming over too." Mike said, making a face. "I hope that is alright."

"Of course. The more the merrier. I got extra supplies in case we all were extra hungry anyway." Raina said.

"Okay, good. They just wanted to hang out with you some more before you headed back home."

Raina made a face at the sound of home. She was feeling so at home there that she didn't even want to think about going back to Florida.

"Okay, what should we start with?" Lacey asked.

"The salad, so that it can get in the refrigerator." Raina said, getting the ingredients together.

Lacey and Raina worked in the kitchen for the next few hours on getting dinner ready. Before they knew it, the house started to smell of the many dishes that Raina had prepared.

"So what exactly do you call this?" Mike asked, looking at the main dish.

"Laks I Iidfast Fad." Raina said in her Danish language.

"Chick say what?" He asked, giving her a look.

Raina laughed at his reaction.

"Also known as Scalloped Salmon." She stated, laughing at him.

"Why not just say that first? Why go and act all fancy and say the Danish version? It's like we know what the hell you are saying."

Raina and Lacey laughed as Mike walked out of the kitchen in disgust.

"If I would have known that was all it would take to get him out of my kitchen, I would have learned a new language a long time ago." Lacey joked.

Raina quickly set the dining room table while Lacey started on the directions that Raina had given her for the dessert. The rest of the group had arrived by then, and were all commenting on the aroma that came from the kitchen.

Once everything was ready, Raina and Lacey put everything on the table. Everyone surrounded the table and Raina took her seat next to Crosby, who just smiled at her.

"Okay, now be honest with me when you eat this." Raina said after everyone dished their plates.

"So if it sucks, spit it out at you?" Scott asked with a smile. Sara, his new girlfriend, slapped him in the shoulder in response.

"You sure can do that, if you don't mind food being thrown back at you." Raina said with a smile.

"Do you have a fancy name for these potatoes too?" Jake asked, pointing to his potatoes on his plate.

"Bagt Kartoffelrand."

"What she said." Josh said.

"Do you speak Danish, or just know the dish names?" Crosby asked her.

"I can speak a little Danish, but not fluent. I can probably get around well if I were to go to Denmark right now, and nobody knew English."

"I know who I am taking if I ever go to Denmark."

"Danish sounds a lot like Norwegian." Josh said to her.

"It probably does. Norway and Denmark aren't far from each other."

"Raina, this food is delicious. I was actually worried for a bit with the weird ass names you called them, but nothing on my plate is awful. I thoroughly am enjoying this." Mike said.

"I'm glad you are enjoying it." Raina said with a smile. "I was afraid that you guys wouldn't be willing to try something different. This isn't a normal everyday meal."

"I'm impressed. I wouldn't mind having this again." Crosby said, looking over at Raina.

"If you all are lucky enough, I may just cook another meal for you." Raina said, taking a bite of the salad she had made.

"What will it take to get you to move from Florida out here?" Mike asked her.

Raina glanced at Mike, not expecting the question.

"Why would I move out here?"

"Why not? You seem to enjoy your visit. And if you move out here, Crosby will follow, and then I will have all my friends close by."

Crosby shook his head, smiling at the comment.

"I am guessing that you have been trying to get Crosby out here for awhile by the way he acted when you said that."

"For years." Lacey said.

"So you are the person who has been trying to get Crosby to move all this time." She said, laughing.

"Guilty as charged." Mike said. "And one of these days, I will win this battle."

"That's what he thinks." Crosby whispered to Raina with a smile.

"Who said that I wanted to move from Florida?" Raina asked with a sly smile.

"I said so." Mike answered.

Raina shook her head, laughing to herself.

"I think you should move up here." Lacey added.

"Yeah, we'd have fun if you moved out here." Jake said.

"I don't see it happening guys, but it would be a nice dream. Too much going on in my life to move, plus that's a lot of money to move from, literally, one side of the country to another."

"We'd help you." Scott said.

"Yeah, and you know you could stay here until you found a place." Mike said.

Raina glanced over at Lacey, then over to Crosby, who just picked at his food.

"How about I think about it?" She said, wanting to end the conversation.

"That's all I ask." Mike said. "If we got you out here, then I know Crosby would be following shortly behind you."

The conversation ended there, and Raina finished eating, not knowing what to say at that point. She glanced over at Crosby, who just gave her a smile, as if to reassure her that everything would blow over quickly.

After dinner, Raina served the dessert, which was as big of a hit as the dinner was. Everyone was stuffed by the time they were done eating, and the guys offered to clean up since Lacey and Raina made the dinner.

"I could get used to this." Lacey said as she watched the guys clean off the table.

"It is pretty nice to not have to worry about cleaning the mess we made." Raina said with a smile.

"I think we should enjoy a glass of wine." Lacey said.

"For the good work we have done, I agree." Raina said, smiling.

Lacey went to the refrigerator and got out a bottle of chardonnay that she had, and poured a glass for Raina, Sara, and herself. The three girls then headed out to the back porch to enjoy the evening while the guys finished cleaning.

"It is so gorgeous out here." Raina said, looking out to the scenery that their porch overlooked.

"I'm sure you have some pretty sights at your place, living in Florida." Sara said.

"Not really. I have a great view of my neighbors back yard." She said. "And I even have a great view of their bathroom when they forget to close their blinds. Let's just say, old people should _always_ remember to close their blinds."

Lacey and Sara laughed at the comment.

"At least you have beaches." Lacey commented.

"Yeah, I do have that, but they do get boring after awhile. Even though I hate Iowa, don't get me wrong, I do miss the stuff I used to do there."

"Like what?" Lacey asked.

"I miss fishing, and hiking, and camping. None of my friends in Florida enjoy that kind of stuff. I love it. That's something that me and my friends back in Iowa did all the time."

"Why did you leave Iowa?" Lacey asked her.

Raina was quiet for a moment, trying to find the best way to answer it.

"I felt smothered by my family." She said.

"You say that a lot, but I have heard you say how much you miss your family." She said.

Raina nodded, taking a sip of her wine.

As if a prayer was answered, the guys walked out onto the patio at that time, and Raina let out a silent sigh of relief.

"What are you ladies talking about?" Scott asked, taking a seat next to Sara.

"About this amazing view, and how sad I am to leave it tomorrow." Raina said, staring off into the distance.

"All good things must come to an end." Crosby said to her, kissing her neck from behind where she was sitting.

"Unfortunately, that is true." She answered.

Raina stood up, motioning for Crosby to take a seat, and he did so. She then sat on his lap, giving him a kiss once she was sitting.

"So, when are you two planning on seeing each other again?" Josh asked.

"I am going to Iowa with her next month." Crosby answered.

"Meeting the family. That's a big step." Jake answered, smiling.

"I guess you could say that." He said with a smile.

"I need someone sane to be there with me in Iowa." Raina joked.

"What is going on in Iowa?" Jake asked.

"My brother is getting married to his pregnant fiancé." Raina answered.

"Ah. Was this a planned marriage?" He asked.

"Yes. The pregnancy was not." She said, taking a sip of her wine.

"What did you think when that happened?" Lacey asked.

"I really have no room to talk." She said without thinking.

"Why do you say that?" Mike asked.

Raina paused at the question, realizing what she said.

"Nothing. I just don't comment on what my brothers decide to do with their lives." She lied.

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"It'll be nice to have another niece or nephew around." She added.

"When is the baby due?" Lacey asked her.

"Not for awhile. They just found out not too long ago."

Just then, Raina felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She reached to grab for it, and saw that her brother Ronnie had text her.

_"Call me when you get a chance. I feel as if I should tell you something."_

Raina made a face at the text, not knowing what her brother wanted.

"What's wrong?" Crosby asked her.

"I don't know yet. I need to go make a phone call." She said, standing up. She walked into the house dialing her brothers number.

"I guess I should have expected you to call right away, huh?" Ronnie answered.

"When you say something like you did, it gets me concerned. What's going on? Everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. Jeremy has been on my case to tell you something, and I really didn't think it was going to be a big deal, until this weekend."

"Why did this weekend change your mind?"

"I guess I didn't realize who exactly Crosby was until now."

"What are you getting at bro?" She asked.

"I invited someone to the wedding." He said softly.

Raina got a gut wrenching feeling when he said that.

"Don't even tell me that it's Troy." She said.

"We were friends with him too Ina, it's not like what happened changed that."

"You know how much I don't like seeing him. Why would you do that?"

"I guess I was kind of hoping that you two would finally kiss and make up." He confessed.

"Do you remember the last time me and him were in a room together?"

"Yeah. It wasn't pretty."

"Exactly. What made you think that this would be any different?"

"Mom said…"

"Don't even tell me that you have listened to a word that mom said about any of this."

"We all just don't understand fully what happened between you two."

"It doesn't matter, Ronnie. It was something that I do not want in my life anymore. And now, I have to deal with it at your wedding, and poor Crosby is going to have to deal with it as well."

"So he's coming?" Ronnie asked, a little excited by what she said.

"Yeah, he is."

"So we get to meet him?" He asked.

"Yes, you will get to meet him."

"Oh, the family will love this." He said, smiling.

"Yeah, well, now I'm not looking forward to this as much as I was. You need to uninvite him." She said.

"You know I can't do that."

"Sure you can. It's your wedding."

"Raina…"

"No, Ronnie. I can't believe you would do this to me. You know that it was a bad idea, or else you wouldn't have felt the need to call me. You have put me in quite the situation. I will go, and avoid him as much as possible, and I won't start a scene for your wedding, but just tell him to back off, alright?"

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." She said. "I am going. It is my last night here in Seattle, and I want to enjoy it."

Raina hung up the phone shortly thereafter, and looked outside to where everyone was. She took a deep breath, and then headed back to join everyone.

"What was that all about?" Crosby asked her as she sat back down on his lap.

"Nothing." She lied, smiling at him. She didn't want to ruin the evening, even though she couldn't get what her brother had said out of her mind.

* * *

There you have it! PLEASE review! Need to make sure that I am going in the right direction with this. I want to know what you all are thinking. :)


	10. Chapter 10

Another day, another chapter. Please review! They give me warm fuzzies, and I love to get warm fuzzies!

* * *

"It's about time you get home." Nicole said to Raina the next day when she walked into the house.

"Why did you insist on watching Honey if you didn't really want too? I tried taking her to work so you wouldn't have to deal with her, but you insisted I didn't."

"I didn't realize how much of a pain in the ass she is." Nicole said.

"What is wrong with you? You have been so bitchy lately."

"So now I'm a bitch?"

Raina gave her roommate a look, confused as to where this was all coming from.

"You're the one who has been nothing but a lying bitch." She added.

"How?"

"If you are planning on moving out, then just do it." Nicole said, angry.

"Move out? Who said I was moving out?"

"This relationship of yours with Crosby can't stay long distance forever. You leave almost every weekend to be with him. It's coming."

"Nicole, I'm not moving out. You can get that out of your head." Raina said, shaking her head.

"He can't move in here." She said.

"He's not moving in here either. Just chill out."

Raina walked into her room with her suitcase in tow and was greeted by Honey on her bed, meowing in her happiness to see her.

"Hey baby girl." Raina said, kissing the top of her head. She started unpacking her things when she heard her cell phone signaling she had a text.

_"Miss you already."_ The text from Crosby read. She smiled at the sight of it, immediately feeling sad that he was not there with her.

_"Wish you were here. Missing you like crazy as well."_ She responded back.

Raina took a load of laundry to the laundry room and started her first load. She then headed to the kitchen to grab herself a bottle of water, then headed back to her room to get back to cleaning, something she was currently wishing she did before she left town.

She realized she had another text at that point, and grabbed it to read it.

_"Do I really have to wait a whole month to see you again?"_ He asked.

She frowned, not wanting to wait as long either, but didn't see any way around it.

_"Job will kill me if I asked another weekend off, expecially with me being gone for two weeks next month. I really shouldn't push my luck."_ She responded. It was then that she wished she was independently wealthy and didn't have to work.

Right after she hit send, her phone started to ring. She glanced at it to see that Brandi was calling her.

"What's up bitch?" Raina answered, smiling.

"I was hoping you'd answer. How was your trip to Iowa?" She asked.

"Short. I actually ended up going to Seattle for the weekend."

"What? When did that decision happen, and why wasn't I informed?"

Raina laughed at her reaction.

"My brothers bought me a ticket there, and I got there on Saturday, and just left today." Raina explained.

"How was Crosby?" She asked. Raina could almost hear her smiling on the other end.

"He is fine. I almost wish I didn't go." She said, sighing.

"Why do you say that?" Brandi asked, confused.

"Makes me miss him more and more every time I see him." She explained, sounding a little depressed.

"The joys of long distance relationships. Planning on seeing him soon?"

"He is coming to Iowa with me."

"There ya' go. Two weeks stuck with each other in the middle of nowhere." She joked, laughing. "That will test any relationship."

Raina laughed in response.

"Anyway, I thought I'd call to give you a heads up about work before you go in tomorrow."

"What about work?"

"They are talking layoffs." She said, getting serious.

"What?" Raina was astonished at the sound of what she said.

"Nobody has gotten axed yet, but they are talking it. I heard the managers and owners talking the other day, and they are giving first round slips next week."

"How can they staff the hospital if they are going to lay off people?"

"Spread us thin. What else?"

Raina groaned.

"I probably will get axed first. I ask off work too much."

"Nah, I doubt that would be the reason they lay anybody off." Brandi said. "Just make sure you are on you're A game."

"I kind of wish I wasn't going on vacation now." Raina admitted nervously.

"Don't even worry about it. You have had this vacation planned for over a year. They won't take it away from you or anything like that."

"I'm not worried about that. I'm worried that they will let me go next week, and then I'm screwed."

"Nah, you'll be fine. Just don't let it get to you, and remember to always be on your best." She said.

Raina sighed.

"Anyway, I am going to go. I will see you tomorrow at work."

Raina agreed, and then hung up the phone. She laid down on her bed, depressed. She knew she could always go back to the Oyster Shack if she had too, but she really didn't want to go back if she didn't have too. She enjoyed her job she had now, and loved what she did.

_"Maybe I'll just have to surprise you or something one day and show up."_

Raina smiled at the thought, but she got a sick feeling in her stomach, not sure if she should even ask off for a weekend to spend with him. She didn't want to give them any more reason to lay her off, but she would hate it if he came down and she was stuck working all weekend.

_"That would make for a perfect surprise."_ She found herself sending him. She couldn't help but wish that he was there.

The next day, Raina went into work, not knowing what to expect. She was sure that rumors were flying like crazy, and that tensions were high. She was just hoping for an easy work day.

"Hey, how was your trip?" Sandy asked when she walked in the door.

"It was good." Raina responded with a smile.

"We are working with only you on the desk today, if you are okay with that. I will be around in case things get crazy, but we are trying something new today." Sandy explained.

Raina nodded, not saying a word in protest, as she put her things in her locker.

The day went by quickly, which normally happened when things were busy, which they were. Normally, it wouldn't seem busy with the normal two person receptions crew, however, when she worked alone, she was doing the work of two people, and she had a very hard time keeping up, but did her best. By the time the end of the day came to an end, and the next receptionist came in for the overnight shift, Raina was exhausted.

"If I had to do that every day, I'd cry." Raina said to Brandi as they stood out back of the animal hospital while Brandi had a cigarette.

"You handled it better than Cheri did yesterday." Brandi said. "I think Cheri cried a couple times."

Raina shook her head, glancing at her newly painted car.

"Ready to enter it in the show in a couple of weeks?" Brandi asked when she watched Raina stare at her car.

"I didn't even ask it off, and to be honest, I'm not going too. If I am off, then yes. If not, then oh well."

"You're no fun." Brandi joked.

Raina smiled at her friend.

"I am going home, Brandi. I am exhausted, and I am doing it all over again tomorrow."

"You and me both. I will see you in the morning." She said, smiling.

Raina climbed into her car and started it, then sat back in her seat and took a deep breath. She stared at the building she worked in and wondered if everything she went through that day was worth the paycheck. She groaned, putting her car in drive and drove towards her house.

When she got there, she noticed that Nicole wasn't home, which she was grateful for at that moment, and made her way inside. She was immediately greeted by Honey, who was begging for food. The cat walked ahead of Raina, leading the way to her bedroom, and immediately jumped on the table where her bowls were located, and then cried out to her, watching Raina's every move.

"I get the picture, Honey." Raina laughed. She grabbed the container of Honey's food and filled her bowl, then continued to strip her work scrubs off, throwing them in a pile on the floor. She then walked into her bathroom and started herself a shower. She took a long shower, loving the feeling of the warm water on her sore muscles, wishing that it wouldn't end.

She was quickly snapped out of her daze when she heard her phone ring. She groaned, wondering if she should end her shower early to answer it, or if she should let her voicemail pick it up. After debating for a moment, she turned off the shower, grabbing her towel, and wrapped it around herself. When she reached her phone, she realized that Crosby was calling her.

"Hey, I'm so glad it's you." Raina answered, lying on her bed.

"Well that's good to hear." Crosby laughed.

"I have had the day from hell, and hearing your voice just makes my day end better."

"What happened?" He asked, concerned.

"They are doing layoffs at work." She said. "And they had me on the desk by myself all day. I am exhausted."

"How did it go?"

"I handled it. I had a couple clients yell at me for taking awhile, but there was nothing I could do."

"Well that's no fun."

"Tell me about it. Me working by myself, and them doing layoffs, is not client centered at all. I don't know what they are thinking. I don't know what's going to happen. Part of me doesn't want to lose my job, but the other part of me wonders if it is even worth it."

"That is something that only you can answer. Do you like it there?"

"I like what I do, but not too happy there right now."

"I say give it a little longer. At least until your vacation so you don't lose that. Then, make your decision."

She sighed.

"You're right." She agreed. "I would be stupid to quit now when I have paid vacation coming."

"And keep doing what they ask, so you don't get laid off. That would suck as well."

Raina laughed a little.

"How was your day?" She asked, running her fingers through her wet hair.

"Fine. I'm back home now. Had a nice relaxing day, doing a whole lot of nothing." He said, smiling.

"Any big plans coming up?" She asked him as she watched Honey jump up on her bed and then lay down next to her.

"Just spending time with the family, and some friends. We are planning on having a big camping trip here in a few weeks that we do every year."

"I miss doing that." Raina said, making a face. "None of my friends like to do that here in Florida."

"You should come up for it." He suggested.

"When is it?" She asked.

"It is scheduled for a couple weeks after your brother gets married."

"I can see if I can ask off for the weekend, but I'm afraid to ask off with everything going on. I'm afraid to breathe funny at work right now."

"I don't blame you, but honestly, is the job worth it to be on pins and needles all the time?"

Raina sighed.

"Maybe it is time to find something different?" He suggested. "Because if they are wanting to get rid of people that badly, it may be worth at least starting to look."

"You're right." She said, groaning.

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right." He joked, laughing.

"Sure you are." She said with a smile.

"If you want to come up, the offer is there. I mean, I am meeting your family, it only seems fair you meet mine." He laughed.

"Oh, I see what you are doing. Ulterior motives here, eh?"

He laughed.

"I will see what the boss says. I will talk to them about a week after the first set of pink slips get handed out. That way things are calming down, and not still as bad as things are now. At least I'm hoping anyway."

"I have faith that things will get better." He said to her, his voice getting more serious.

"I hope so. I can only take so much." She sighed.

"Work tomorrow?"

"Yup. Only I work a twelve hour shift by myself instead of an eight, so this will be interesting."

"Then I will let you go so you can get a good nights sleep. You need it." He said to her. She could almost hear how sorry he felt for her.

"Thanks." She said to him, petting Honey while talking to him.

"Call me when you are done tomorrow?"

"Will do." She answered.

"Night." He said to her. She slowly ended the phone call, and she tossed her phone on the pillow. She stared at the ceiling, losing the will to even get up to blow dry her hair. Her laziness got the better of her, and she crawled into bed, turning off her light, and went to sleep for the night, deciding to worry about her hair in the morning.

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There you have it! Remember, PLEASE review! I want to make sure that you guys still like this story! :)


	11. Chapter 11

THANK YOU sooo much for the reviews! Keep them coming! They make me happy, and encourage me to write, which means faster updates. :)

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Raina stood at the gate waiting for Crosby to come off the plane in Iowa. She had just arrived in Iowa herself not much sooner than he did, and she was glad that they had planned their tickets to be like that, because she was a nervous wreck. She was excited to see him, since she hadn't seen him in a little over a month, and could hardly contain her excitement when she saw people coming towards the baggage claim. She looked in the crowd for the familiar face, and when she saw him, she couldn't help but smile.

"I can't believe you are finally here!" She said, giving him a hug.

"I can't believe how small this airport is. This has to be the smallest airport I have ever flown into." He responded, giving her a kiss in greeting.

"Welcome to Iowa." She joked.

"Is there only one terminal here, or what?"

"Yeah, that would be true." She responded, smiling at him.

"If the airport is small, I can only imagine how small the town is that you are taking me too."

"Oh, you have no clue." She said to him, smiling.

The two of them walked over to the belt where the baggage was coming on, and once Crosby grabbed his things, the two of them headed towards the car rental so that Raina could pick up the car she had rented.

"Here are the keys." The lady behind the counter said to Raina after filling out all the paperwork.

"Thanks. See you on Saturday?" Raina said to her.

"I will be there." She said, smiling.

Raina smiled back at her, and then the two of them headed out of the airport towards where the car was located.

"Did you know her?"

"Yeah. She went to school with Ronnie." She said, smiling at him.

"Do you know everyone up here?" He asked, glancing over at her.

"No, she just happened to be here. We are about an hour from my town." She said, leading the way.

The two of them walked up to the mustang convertible that she had rented. They put their bags into the trunk, and then Raina put the top down before they started towards her home town.

"So, anything I need to know before we get there?" Crosby asked, glancing at Raina as they drove down the road.

She had a million things come to her head, but decided to keep them under wraps at that time.

"My mom will ask a million questions about you. Just be honest, because if she catches you in a lie, it's all over." She said to him.

"Alright."

"And my brothers are cool. You'll like them. They will definitely be interested in what you have to say. They are very protective of me."

"Which they should be. You're their little sister."

Raina nodded. She didn't want to say too much to him just yet. She was hoping she would never have to tell him the full truth, and that everything would go smoothly.

When they arrived in town, Raina felt nervous almost immediately, and so did Crosby, but for completely different reasons.

"I'll drive you through town, so I can show you around, before we go drop our stuff off at my aunt's house."

"Why are we staying at your aunt's house?"

"Because my parents house is consumed of wedding stuff, and my brothers house is the same. Jeremy's house is a crazy mess with the kids, and I personally want to enjoy my vacation, and not be greeted with a crying baby at five in the morning." She said, smiling at him.

"Sounds like a plan to me." He said, smiling at her.

Raina drove into town, pointing out the many different things in the town.

"My family owns that gas station." She explained. "Same with that pharmacy."

"Would it be easier for you to say what your family doesn't own?" Crosby joked.

She stuck her tongue out at him as she drove on.

"I have an aunt and uncle who own the winery in town as well. I will have to bring you there at some point."

Just then, Crosby noticed a car pull up towards theirs and slow down, flashing their headlights at them. He watched as Raina slowed down and pulled up next to the car.

"How'd I know that was you?" Ronnie asked, smiling at his sister.

"Because you are so smart." Raina sarcastically answered.

"Of course I'm smart. Where are you two headed?" He asked her.

"Probably going to Aunt Karen's." She said.

"You two are staying there, right?" He asked.

Raina nodded in response.

"Sounds good. I will meet you two there." He said, then drove off.

Raina started to drive as well, and Crosby just watched her.

"That was my brother Ronnie." She said.

"The groom?" He asked.

Raina nodded.

"He always hunts me down when he knows when I am going to be in town. He looks for a car that he doesn't know, and then knows that I am around. Has to try to strive to be the first person to see me when I'm in town." She said with a smile, heading towards her aunt's house.

"Why's that?" He asked.

"He has always done it." She responded, shrugging her shoulders.

Raina pulled into a nice two-story farm house on the outside of town. She parked the car in the driveway and the two of them started to get out of the car.

"We'll get our stuff in a moment. Come on inside first." She said, glancing around. The two of them walked up to the door and Raina knocked, waiting for her aunt to answer.

"Raina! There you are! It is about time you get here." Karen smiled, answering the door.

"Nice to see you Aunt Karen." She said, giving her aunt a hug. "This is my friend Crosby I was telling you about."

Crosby went to stick out his hand to shake her hand in greeting, but she ignored it giving him a hug.

"I don't shake hands, hun, I hug." Karen said, smiling at him.

Crosby looked over at Raina, and just smiled in response, shrugging her shoulders.

"Come in. You guys have the basement to yourselves, since Jeannie and Jarred will be home this week as well. There will be more privacy down there." Karen said, waving the two of them inside. Jeannie and Jarred were Raina's cousins who were both around her age.

"What time are they coming?" Raina asked, excited to see her cousins that both lived in Des Moines, where they both were going to school at.

"They will be here tomorrow. They both had class today."

Raina nodded.

"So, what number in the family are you?" Crosby asked, curious.

"Ah, so you told him about the big family?" Karen asked, smiling at Raina.

Raina nodded as she watched Karen grab a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator. She immediately recognized the label as the family brand.

"I am number five in the family."

"Her and mom are closest in age." Raina said to Crosby, accepting the glass of wine that Karen was handing her.

"Wow, this is good." Crosby said, taking a glance at the bottle.

"It's my aunt and uncles brand." Raina said. "Well, one of the many wines they make."

"Which one?" He asked.

"My sister Rebecca and her husband Frank." Karen said, smiling. "You will need to take him out there."

"I definitely will." Raina said. "Where is Uncle Mark?"

"Out in the barn. He will be in soon." She said. "I am making spaghetti for dinner if you guys are going to be around for it. I didn't know if you were having dinner with your parents tonight or not."

"Unfortunately, we are." Raina responded, taking a long drink of her glass of wine.

"It will be fine. If not, then you're going to have to get used to it. You're in town for two weeks."

Raina nodded.

"Come on Crosby, let's bring our things inside." Raina said, standing up.

Crosby glanced over at Karen, who just shrugged her shoulders at him. He followed her outside, not asking any questions, and the two of them brought their things inside and took them to the furnished basement.

"It's like a little apartment down here." Crosby said, looking around.

"My aunt and uncle furnished it for my cousins when they were teenagers, so that they could have their own place to hang out, so they weren't upstairs bugging them. Uncle Mark had to be up early to tend to the animals and wanted his sleep."

He nodded, smiling.

Just then, Raina heard someone walking down the stairs to the basement. She glanced over and saw Ronnie walking down the stairs.

"Hey sis. Sorry it took me so long to come over. Hillary had a food craving and I had to go on a food hunt." He said, giving his sister a hug.

"Not a problem. Ronnie, this is my friend Crosby."

"Ah, the famous Crosby." He said, shaking his hand.

"I don't consider myself famous, but sure." He responded with a smile.

"You're the one my sister has been talking about for years, so I consider you famous in our world at least. I have seen the show as well. You're one crazy son of a bitch, aren't you?"

Crosby laughed at the comment.

"The show makes things seem worse than they are, but sure, I guess I kind of am."

Just then, Ronnie's cell phone rang. He glanced at it, and then made a face.

"More wedding stuff. We are going out tonight after dinner at mom and dad's, got it? Jeremy has already got a sitter for the kids."

"Ronnie, I really don't…" Raina started to say, but was cut off.

"I don't care what you do and don't want to do. Consider it my wedding present. Hillary is our DD, so we can do what we want all night."

"She better be DD, since she is pregnant." Raina said with a smile.

"I will see you guys soon." He said, then ran up the stairs.

Raina sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"Everything alright?" Crosby asked, watching her.

"Yeah." Raina lied, forcing a smile on her face.

"I can tell you are lying, but since you don't want to talk about it, we won't." He said, sitting down next to her.

"Good, because there is nothing to tell." She said, smiling at him, grabbing his hand.

He leaned over and gently kissed her cheek, then said in her ear quietly, "You really aren't that good of a liar."

She responded by giving him a quick kiss.

"We should really get ready." She said, changing the subject. She stood up, grabbed her bag, and walked into the room. Crosby sat on the bed and watched her leave, wondering what she wasn't telling him.

Not long after, the two of them were headed towards Raina's parents house. Crosby took the time to take in the sights of the small town that only had one stop light, which really didn't serve much of a purpose in the town.

Raina pulled into a driveway and parked the rental car, and the two of them got out. Fenway ran up to them at that point, and Crosby smiled to greet him.

"That's Fenway, the family dog." Raina said, giving Fenway a pat on the head.

"So your parents grow corn?" He asked, looking around.

"Yeah. Next door is my dad's brother's house, and across the street is my mom's brothers house. They all grow corn, and help each other out in tending to the crops. They all share the machines too, and it keeps the cost down for all of them."

Crosby nodded.

"Hey, there's my princess." Neil said, coming up to them on a four wheeler.

"Hi Dad." Raina said, walking up to him and giving him a hug. "Dad, this is my friend Crosby. Crosby, this is my father, Neil."

"Nice to meet you." Crosby said, shaking his hand.

"You are a brave soul to come and meet this family of ours. You are in for a real treat this week." Neil said, smiling at him.

"I'm sure it'll be alright." He said with a smile.

"Just don't go running for the hills after this visit. Things will be exceptionally crazy because it's a wedding. The family isn't always like this."

Raina shook her head, stifling a smile.

"I will see you guys in a little bit. I have some things to finish up before dinner." Neil said, then drove off.

"So, I'm in for a crazy week, eh?" Crosby asked with a grin.

"I tried to warn you." Raina responded. "Come on."

Raina grabbed Crosby's hand and the two of them walked into the house. When they got inside, they immediately heard the screaming of Savannah in the living room.

"What's going on in here?" Raina asked, walking into the living room.

"Aunt Raina is here!" Seth yelled, running over to where Raina was standing. He ran into her legs, giving her a big hug.

"How's my favorite nephew?" Raina asked, picking him up.

"I'm good. Who's he?" He asked, pointing at Crosby.

"That's my friend Crosby."

"Is he the guy that you are dating?" He asked, whispering to her.

"You don't even know what dating means." She answered with a grin.

"Dad and Mom said you're dating him."

"That is none of your business munchkin." She said, starting to tickle him. He screamed in laughter, squirming out of his aunts arms. When he was free, he ran towards where his mom was.

"Crosby, this is my sister-in-law Rachel. Rachel, this is Crosby."

"Nice to meet you." Rachel said, shaking his hand. "How were your flights?"

"Uneventful." The two of them said in unison.

"It's like you two live together." Rachel joked. "How's the job thing going?" She added, looking at Raina.

"I'd like to lie and say it's going well, but it's not. Half the staff has been laid off, luckily I am not one of those. However, everyone is on mandatory overtime, which makes absolutely no sense at all, but hey, what do I know."

Rachel shook her head.

"But I am not here to talk about work. I am here to forget about work." Raina said, shaking her head.

Just then, Cathrine walked into the room carrying a bunch of plates and napkins.

"Hey Raina. Glad to see you made it." She said, smiling at her daughter.

"Hi Mom." Raina said, smiling at her. She quickly introduced Crosby, and Cathrine just looked at him for a moment.

"You're the one who she has been texting and talking too all these years?" She asked, setting the plates and napkins down on the table.

Crosby glanced at Raina, who just nodded at him.

"Yeah, that's me." He responded.

Cathrine was quiet for a moment, and Raina just glanced at her, then at Rachel, who was staring at Cathrine as well.

"It's about time we meet you." Cathrine finally answered with, then walked out of the room.

Rachel made a face, and Raina just mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Crosby, who just smiled at her.

"Where's my lazy brother?" Raina asked Rachel.

"He's picking up the pizzas." She answered.

"Ah, mom is taking the night off, eh?"

"Well, she is prepping for the big cookout tomorrow night after the rehearsal, and then the actual dinner on Saturday."

Raina nodded.

Just then, Jeremy arrived with the pizzas, and Ronnie, Hillary, and Neil walked in right behind him. They all gathered in the living room to eat the pizzas, all excitedly talking about the wedding that weekend.

"I'm going to start cleaning up." Cathrine said after everyone ate.

"Here, let me help you." Crosby offered. Raina smiled at him, watching him stand up and take the dirty plates around the table, and then followed Cathrine into the kitchen.

"So, what is it that you do for a living?" Cathrine asked Crosby when they were in the kitchen.

"I am a fisherman." He answered, setting the dishes in the sink.

"Do you own your own boat?" She asked him.

"Someday I hope too, but right now, I don't."

She nodded.

"How serious are things with you and my daughter?" She asked, getting right to what she really wanted to know.

"We're just getting to know each other still." He answered truthfully.

"Isn't that what you have been doing for four years now?" She asked.

He smiled.

"It's a little different actually knowing someone in person than knowing someone only through text and e-mail."

Cathrine nodded.

"We just don't want to rush into anything." He added.

"That would be a first for my daughter." Cathrine said, shaking her head.

Crosby looked over at her, but chose not to say anything to it.

He looked at the pictures on the refrigerator after finishing the dishes, looking at all the pictures of Raina growing up.

"She was like a little tomboy growing up, huh?" He asked, looking at the pictures.

"Yeah. She definitely was more like one of the guys than anything. She had more of an interest in sports and cars than dolls."

He nodded, smiling. He turned to look at the side of the refrigerator where more pictures were and saw a sonogram. He smiled at the sight of it, figuring it was of Hillary and Ronnie's baby they were expecting.

"Want to bring the cookies out to the living room?" Cathrine asked.

Crosby nodded, turning away from the picture. As he did so, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He saw Raina's name on the sonogram. Before he could say something, Seth came running into the kitchen.

"Grandma! Where's dessert?"

"I have it little man. Let's go out and eat it." He said. Seth grabbed Crosby's hand and led him to the living room.

Crosby set the plate down on the table and then took the seat next to Raina. She smiled at him, leaning over and giving him a soft kiss. He thought about asking her about the picture, but figured it wasn't the right place or time to do so, so forgot about it. He figured he would have plenty of time to ask later.

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There you have it! Remember, please review. I love to hear what you have to say! :)


	12. Chapter 12

Here is another update! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for the reviews! I love them! They are like candy to me. :)

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"So who all is going to be at this cook out?" Crosby asked as the two of them drove back towards her parents house after the rehearsal at the church.

"Not the whole family, just those that are immediately in the wedding party, and then Hillary's side of the family as well."

He nodded.

"I have been wanting to ask you something, and I was looking for the right time, but I have realized that there probably isn't a right time, so I figure I'm just gonna' ask."

Raina looked over at Crosby, a little nervous.

"I found this picture on your moms' refrigerator of a sonogram." He said.

"Of Ronnie and Hillary's baby? I want to see." Raina said with a smile.

"No, that was not the name on the sonogram." He said, watching her.

She glanced over at him with a confused look on her face.

"It had your name on it."

"My name?" She asked, even more confused.

"Yeah, that's why I wanted to ask you. What was that?"

"There is no sonogram picture on my parents fridge of mine." She said, confused. She tried to remember it being on the refrigerator, but couldn't recall one being there.

"I saw it on the side. I mean, I could be mistaken, since Seth came in the kitchen and distracted me, but I'm pretty sure it said your name."

"I want to see this picture." She said as she pulled into her parents house. She parked on the side of the driveway and the two of them headed inside the house. She walked straight to the refrigerator to see the sonogram he was talking about, but saw nothing.

"Where is it?" She asked, looking everywhere.

"It was right here." He said, confused as to why it was missing all of a sudden. "I'm not crazy, at least I don't think I am, but it was right here."

"Hey, you guys are here. Will you help me bring out everything?" Catherine said.

"Mom, did you have a sonogram up here?" Raina asked.

Catherine looked at Raina, then Crosby.

"No, why?" She said.

Raina stared down her mother. She then took the potato salad she was holding out of her hand and headed outside.

"I didn't mean to start an argument or anything, I was just wondering what it was of. I'm sorry I was mistaken." Crosby said when he caught up to Raina outside.

She smiled at him, and then gave him a kiss.

"You didn't start anything." She said to him.

Everyone slowly started arriving to the barbeque, and Neil started to cook the cheeseburgers and hot dogs on the grill. It was dark out, and they had the bonfire going at that time, and everyone sat around talking about the next day.

"Beer?" Raina asked Crosby, handing him a bottle.

"Thanks." He said, accepting it. Raina sat on his lap with her own bottle of beer. She had on a sweatshirt, even though it was summertime in Iowa, but she couldn't help but feel cold.

"You have turned into a damn Floridian, haven't you?" Jeremy asked, taking a seat next to Crosby and Raina. "You are like those old people now."

"Thanks brat." She said, throwing her beer bottle cap at him. "I can't help that I am used to it be 90 and humid all the time."

"You are always cold." He laughed. "So, Crosby, you coming to the bachelor party with us tonight?"

"I don't know, am I?" He asked, glancing at Raina.

"I am going out with Hillary. It's up to you if you want to join us girls, or go out with them, or go back to Aunt Karen's."

He glanced over at Jeremy.

"Well, as nice as it sounds to hang out with a bunch of girls all night, the bachelor party sounds like more fun."

"Good choice. They are all probably going to give manicures and pedicures to each other all night and talk about their men."

"You think that's what we do when you aren't around?" Raina asked, shaking her head.

"Hey, what else do you girls have to do?" He asked.

Raina gave her brother a look.

"We probably have more fun than you guys will ever have. What are you guys planning on doing? I know that Rachel and Hillary don't have to worry about you guys going to strip clubs at all, since there are none anywhere near here."

"Doesn't mean we can't have a stripper!" Jeremy joked.

"Who in this town would even think about being a stripper for you guys?" She asked.

"I think you should rephrase that question. Who in this town has he not see naked already?" Ronnie laughed, coming up to them.

"You really want to start with that now, before your wedding?" Jeremy asked, giving him a look.

"I kid, I kid." He said, laughing.

"Are we ready to go out?" Jarred, Raina's cousin, asked. "I'm bored."

Raina shook her head, laughing.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Jeremy said, tossing his empty beer bottle in the trash.

"You better be coming with us Crosby." Ronnie said, standing up.

"Yeah, I'm going." He said.

"Have fun. Ignore everything they tell you, they are all lies." Raina said to him, standing up.

"I will have to remember that." He said, laughing.

Raina watched as Crosby left with her brothers and a couple of her cousins and Ronnie's friends, and she sat back down in her seat.

"Where exactly are we going?" Crosby asked Jeremy.

"Just to the only bar here in town. Not much more we can do, and we all plan on drinking. At least this rate, if we all get too drunk, we don't have far to walk."

He nodded.

They all walked into the small bar, where Crosby was introduced to a cousin of Raina's, who was the bartender that evening.

"So, ready to take the plunge tomorrow?" Jeremy asked after the group of guys all took a shot to celebrate the evening.

"I sure hope so, because either way, I'm stuck with Hillary, aren't I?" Ronnie laughed.

"Do you guys know what you are having yet?" Crosby asked him.

"No, and I think we both decided on not knowing until the baby is born. We want to be surprised."

"I would want to know. I would want to plan for it." Ronnie's best friend, Zach, said.

Just then, Crosby watched a couple guys walk into the bar, and he watched them walk up to them.

"Troy, Kyle, what's going on?" Ronnie asked, smiling at them.

"Not much. Heard there was a bachelor party going on in here tonight, and had to make an appearance." One of the guys said. He was eying Crosby, curious as to who he was.

"Guys, this is Crosby, my sisters friend. Crosby, this is Troy and Kyle." Ronnie said, introducing the guys.

"A friend of Raina's, eh?" Troy asked, still eying him. "What kind of friend is that?"

"Just friends." Crosby went with, not wanting to elaborate at that point. Something felt weird about this whole situation, and he didn't know why.

"Where is Raina at anyway? I haven't seen her around, and I thought for sure she would join you guys for the bachelor party instead of staying with Hillary and the girls for the bachelorette party." Troy said.

"She decided to stay behind. You know her. She doesn't like to go out anymore."

He nodded.

Crosby watched as Troy walked away from them and head up to the bar to get himself a drink.

"Old friend of Raina's?" Crosby asked Jeremy.

"She told you about Troy, right? That's her ex." He said, finishing off his beer.

"No, never heard of him."

"Figures she wouldn't talk about him. She never talks about him." He said, shaking his head.

"Why, may I ask?"

"That is a conversation you should have with my sister. I probably have said too much as it is." He answered, holding up his beer bottle to his cousin, signaling his need for a refill.

Crosby nodded, sitting back in his chair.

"So, Crosby, where ya' from?" Troy asked, taking a seat across from him.

"Vermont." He answered. He immediately wished he decided on hanging out with the girls that night. He even preferred just going back to Karen's house to stay there for the evening alone.

"How in the hell does Raina know you then? I thought she ran away to Florida?"

"Troy, she did. Chill out. Leave the guy alone." Ronnie said. "He has nothing to do with anything."

"Fine, for your bachelor party, I will. I won't even say anything at your wedding tomorrow. But I'll be damned if I see her after that and don't say anything."

Ronnie just rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"I just want to say one thing, and then I will drop it all." Troy said. "I am guessing she has said nothing to you about me, right?"

Crosby shook his head.

"Dude, you have no idea who Raina is at all. Ask her about me. Twenty bucks she gets uncomfortable and lies about who I am. She's a lying bitch, so just watch out." He said, laughing.

"Troy, this is the reason Raina didn't want you to come to my wedding. I did not invite Crosby out with us to have him to listen to you." Ronnie said to him, getting angry at this point.

"Fine, I get the picture. I will go. I will see you guys tomorrow." Troy said, slamming the rest of his beer. He then walked out of the bar.

"Sorry guys, he has had quite a bit to drink before he got here." Kyle said, making a face.

"Keep the alcohol away from him tomorrow for the wedding please." Ronnie asked.

Kyle nodded.

"I'm kind of glad things ended between Raina and him." Jarred said, taking the seat Troy had currently occupied.

"When he acts like that, me too." Jeremy responded.

"Hey, it's over, and it is my bachelor party. Who's buying the next round of shots?" Ronnie asked, standing up, trying to cheer everyone up and forget about what had just happened.

"Next round is on me." Crosby offered, standing up with him.

"Hell yes. Let's do this." He said.

Crosby laughed as he went to buy a round of shots for everyone. He couldn't believe how much the tab was for the shots, since they were a lot less than what he is normally used too in the big city. He almost saw himself preferring small town living.

Later that night, Jarred and Crosby headed back to Karen's house. Crosby headed downstairs quietly, in case Raina was sleeping. When he saw that she was, he quickly changed and then crawled into bed next to her.

"How was the night?" Raina asked sleepily, not moving from the position she was in.

"Eventful." He answered quietly.

"Did you have fun?" She asked.

"Yeah, I did." He said. "I met Troy."

Raina immediately spun around at the sound of Troy's name and looked at him.

"You have quite the ex." He said with a smile.

Raina groaned, turning away from him.

"It was obvious he had a few drinks before he even showed up at the bar." He said, kissing her shoulder.

"What did he say to you?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing too much." He lied. He could tell that she wasn't happy that he had run into him.

She nodded.

"However, he did say that I didn't know who you were." He said, watching her.

"He doesn't know what he is talking about." She said, shaking her head. "He's just still pissed that me and him are no more."

He nodded, pulling her close to him, as he wrapped his arms around her. She wasn't facing him, which she was grateful for, because she didn't want him to see how upset she was about the interaction between the two of them.

"Raina, who is he?" He asked.

Raina was quiet for a moment.

"Just an ex." She answered with.

He could tell she wasn't saying something. He didn't want to press any further and upset her. If she didn't want to say more, then he was fine with that.

Raina laid there in bed, listening to Crosby's breathing, waiting for him to fall asleep. Once she knew he was asleep, she reached over to her phone, turning it on silent, and quickly texted Jeremy.

_"What happened tonight?"_ She asked him.

She laid there with her stomach in knots, sick to her stomach. She was hoping that when Crosby met Troy, she would be around. She didn't even think that he would show up to the bachelor party, since he didn't even live in the same town as them. He lived in one of the many neighboring towns, and figured he wouldn't make the drive in to drink, but she figured wrong.

_"Troy was drunk, and Ronnie got rid of him. He didn't say anything too bad_."

_"Yeah right. Crosby doesn't know the real me, eh? Who invited him to the party, and why didn't you guys tell me? I would have gone with you."_

Raina started to bite her nails. She waited patiently for her brother to respond.

_"Raina, chill. You had to of known that something like this was going to happen. You can't invite Crosby into town knowing that Troy was going to come to the wedding, and not expect him to say something."_

Raina made a face, getting angry at her brother.

_"Crosby was invited before I knew I was backstabbed by my brother. I will deal with this tomorrow."_

Raina threw her phone onto the chair across the room, not wanting to talk to Jeremy anymore. She felt Crosby stir in his sleep, holding onto her tighter. She tried to relax to get some sleep, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the situation out of her head.

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There you have it. Please review. Tell me what YOU think Raina's big secret is. :)


	13. Chapter 13

Here is another update! Thank you SOOO much for the reviews! In this chapter, some questions may be answered, but others may arise. Don't worry, in the next couple of chapters or so, everything will be answered fully. Please tell me what you think! :)

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Raina crawled out of bed early the next morning, careful to not wake Crosby. She quickly went into the bathroom to take a quick shower, then changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. She was to meet with Hillary, Rachel, and the rest of the bridal party to get their hair and make-up done by a few of Raina's extended family members.

"Where are you going so early?" Crosby asked groggily from bed when he saw Raina changing in the room.

"I have to go and get my hair done. You go back to sleep. I will come back to get you when I'm done." She said, leaning over him to give him a kiss.

Raina quickly walked up the stairs and out of the house. She got into her rental car and instead of going to pick up Rachel, she headed straight to her parents house and made her way inside.

"What are you doing here?" Cathrine asked.

"Where's the picture?" Raina asked, staring to go through the drawers in the kitchen.

"What picture?" Her mother asked.

"The picture of the sonogram, Mom. I thought I told you to get rid of it, or bury it in a deep chest where the sun can't shine on it." She responded, digging through more drawers.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Cathrine said, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed.

"Why have I never seen this picture? What do you do? Keep it up when I'm not around, then when I come home, hide it again?"

"I don't want you to destroy it like you have destroyed the others. It is the only picture I have to remember her by!"

Raina shook her head, slamming a drawer shut.

"Get rid of the picture." She warned to her mother, and then stormed out of the house. Raina crawled into the car and sped off towards her brothers house to pick up Rachel. When she arrived, she quickly ran into the house.

"Hey, you ready?" Raina asked when she saw Rachel pouring herself a cup of coffee into a travel mug.

"Yeah. Want some?" She asked.

Raina nodded.

Rachel took out another travel mug and poured coffee into it, then handed it to her sister-in-law.

"Where are my favorite niece and nephew?" Raina asked, looking around.

"In bed with Dad." Rachel answered, smiling. "Let's get out of here before they realize I'm gone."

Raina agreed, and the two girls left the house and headed over to the hair salon they were getting their hair done at.

"Where's the bride?" Raina asked when they walked into the room.

"She's coming. Poor girl is still battling with morning sickness." Hillary's sister, Natalie, said.

"That sucks."

"Come here cousin of mine. You're turn." Raina's cousin said, motioning for her to come sit in the chair.

Raina sat down and waited patiently while he cousin did her hair in the hairstyle that Hillary had wanted all of the bridesmaids to have done. Hillary arrived shortly after, smiling from ear to ear.

"The bride is here!" Natalie yelled, smiling.

"Hey ladies." She responded, taking a seat with her hot tea in hand.

"I can't believe you are still having morning sickness." Raina said, careful to not turn her head to look at Hillary.

"Hopefully it will all be over soon." She responded with a smile.

"I heard the guys had quite the evening last night." Natalie said from her seat.

Raina glanced over at Natalie, biting her lower lip.

"I can't believe Troy is still being a dick about everything. You would think he would have gotten over it by now." Rachel said, shaking her head.

"It was what I was hoping for." Raina responded.

"Troy told Crosby to watch out for you last night." Hillary said.

"What?" Raina asked, her head shooting in her direction. Her cousin tightened her grip on her hair, pulling her head back in its correct position.

"I guess he called you a liar in so many words." She said to Raina.

Raina groaned.

"Is he really coming tonight?"

Hillary nodded.

Raina sighed.

"I guess it was all a big dream that everything would go smoothly with Crosby here in town."

"You should have patched things up with Troy years ago, and not left things the way they were." Rachel said to her.

"What I should have done was ran away and never turned back."

"You would have missed us too much." Rachel said with a smile.

Raina sighed, agreeing with her. She had never felt more sick to her stomach than she did right then. She then heard her phone ring, and watched as Hillary handed it to her. She looked to see that Crosby was texting her.

"_The bed is awfully lonely without you in it._"

Raina smiled at the comment.

"Who is it? Crosby?" Hillary asked.

Raina smiled, not denying who it was.

_"For being on vacation, you sure do wake up awfully early."_ He said, sending her another text.

_"Tomorrow, I am planning on sleeping until the next day, so be prepared for that."_ She responded with a smile.

"So, who is planning on moving between the two of you?" Natalie asked Raina.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You can't plan on doing the long distance thing forever, do you?" She asked. "Are you moving to Vermont, or is he moving to Florida?"

Raina laughed, smiling to herself.

"It is way too soon to even think about that just yet." She answered.

"You two are so cute together. If he doesn't move closer to you, then you better go to him. You would be a fool to not be with him." Rachel said, watching Raina.

Raina sighed.

"You're done. Next." Her cousin said, as she sprayed the last of the hairspray in her hair.

"Thanks, cousin of mine." Raina said, going to sit in a chair next to Rachel.

"Everything will be alright." Rachel said to Raina after a silence between them. She could tell that she was nervous about the days events.

"I hope so. I guess I deserve this. Karma is a bitch, right?"

Rachel didn't respond. She knew that Raina was right, but she didn't want to say it to her. It was something that her and Jeremy had talked about a lot before that day, and knew that her day was coming. Rachel couldn't help but think, as well, that Jeremy and Ronnie had planned for that day to come at this time.

"Have you told Crosby?" Rachel asked her.

Raina shook her head.

"Maybe you should tell him, before Troy does?"

Raina sighed.

"I'm kind of hoping that Troy has a heart and doesn't say a thing. I want my past to stay there. I don't want my choices to haunt me forever."

"Aren't they doing that already?"

Raina stared off into space for a moment.

"I'm going to go. I will see you ladies at the church in a few hours."

"Are you changing at my house, or meeting us at the church?"

"I'll meet you at the church. I really don't want Crosby to go alone."

Hillary nodded.

"See you in a bit, future sister." Raina said with a smile.

Raina walked outside and got into her car and couldn't help but feel the tears well up in her eyes. She sat there for a little while, trying to collect herself, and then headed towards her aunt and uncles house.

"Hey, you're hair looks nice." Karen said as Raina walked inside.

"Thanks. What smells so good?"

"Breakfast, and don't think you're getting out of it. You need to have a good meal before you stand up on that altar. I don't want to see anyone passing out up there for Hillary and Ronnie's day."

Raina nodded with a smile.

Karen watched Raina for a moment.

"Everything okay?" She asked her niece.

"Yeah." Raina said, putting on a smile.

Karen nodded.

"Has Crosby been up yet?" She asked.

"I haven't seen him."

Raina went downstairs to see if he was still in bed or not. She found him laying in bed, asleep.

"Wake up sleepy head." Raina said, crawling on the bed and then sitting on him.

"Just because your ass likes to get up early in the morning, doesn't mean I want too." He said with a smile.

"It's almost ten! Get up. Breakfast is waiting for us."

"Is that what that smell is?"

"Yup. She is making waffles." She said, looking down at him.

"You better be glad you just got your hair done, otherwise your ass would be pinned down right now."

Raina smiled.

"See, I planned this out very well. I'm not as stupid as I may look." She joked.

"I will remember this, I hope you know."

"Sure you will, now get up and lets go eat. Jeannie and Jarred are eating all the food."

Raina pulled Crosby out of bed and the two of them headed upstairs to grab a bite to eat.

"When do you have to be at the church?" Jeannie asked.

"I have to be there at one for pictures."

"The wedding doesn't even start until five." Jarred said, confused.

"I know, but my brother and Hillary are planning on taking a ton of pictures I guess. I just go with the flow. I don't try to make sense out of things."

"Don't you know you are supposed to know everything?" Jarred joked.

"Right, we all know that's not the truth." Raina laughed.

They all finished eating, and then watched some TV before Raina started having to get ready. She started on her make-up as Crosby changed, since he was leaving with her so early.

"So, are you planning on taking on the family in a good game of Bullshit?" Raina asked with a smile as she put on her eye shadow.

"I will scope out the competition. I think I am ready for the big leagues." He joked, buttoning up his shirt.

"There will be a game of dominos going on as well, if that is more in your area."

"Nah, Bullshit is my game today. I can feel it."

"Yeah right." She laughed, finishing up her makeup. She went to the closet where her dress was hanging and she looked at the long light purple halter dress that she was to wear. She quickly unzipped the clear covering, and then pulled it out. She went into the bathroom to change, and then stood in the mirror examining herself, making sure that she was ready to go.

"Hey, look at you." He said, watching her come out of the bathroom.

"One of the most expensive dresses I have ever owned. Hillary really knows how to pick them." Raina joked, grabbing her heels and slipping them on.

"You look great." He said to her, giving her a kiss.

"I'd say I am going to be the best looking girl there, however, there are four other girls that will be showing up in the same dress as me."

"Couldn't look any better in that dress than you do. You look amazing."

She smiled at the compliment.

"You ready to go?" She asked.

The two of them headed upstairs, and Crosby drove the two of them towards the only church that was in town. It was the same church that her parents, and her grandparents, had gotten married in.

"It's nice in here." Crosby said, looking around.

"This church has been here forever." She said, looking around as well.

"There you are! We are starting pictures outside first. Hurry up!" Hillary yelled at the doorway. Raina glanced over at Crosby, shrugging her shoulders.

For the next couple of hours, they ran through the many pictures that Hillary and Ronnie wanted. Ronnie looked bored with it all, but did what his fiancé wanted, wanting to make her happy.

The ceremony was nice. It was a bit long, but a traditional Danish wedding. After it was over, everyone headed down to where the reception was being held, which was at her aunt and uncle's winery. They had a huge ballroom that was decorated in lights, purple drapes, and flowers. It was gorgeous. Everyone, as they arrived, took their seats and ate the dinner that Raina's mom and couple of aunts had prepared for the occasion.

Before anyone knew it, the music was on and people were dancing out on the dance floor.

"I want you to meet my grandparents." Raina said to Crosby, grabbing his hand.

Raina led Crosby over to the Bullshit table in the back of the room where a few of her family members were huddled around a table playing the game.

"Hey, there she is. Are we not high enough on your list to visit anymore?" Her grandfather, Alberth, asked her.

"Of course you guys are. I've just been busy." She said, giving her grandfather a kiss on the cheek.

"And who is this fine young man?" Her grandmother, Margarete, asked.

"This is my friend Crosby. Crosby, this is my grandmother Margarete, and my grandfather, Alberth." She said, introducing them.

"Nice to meet you." Crosby said, shaking their hands.

"Are you from sunny Florida?" Marge asked.

"No. I actually live in Vermont."

"How in the world did you meet my granddaughter then?"

"Through the internet Grandma." Raina answered.

"That internet sure has taken over. I don't understand those things. You couldn't find yourself a man by yourself?" Al asked.

"Sure I could, but Crosby is better."

Margarete nodded as she watched her husband take his turn at the card game.

"Are you two in the next game?" Raina's younger cousin, Alex, asked. He was considered the master of the game in the family. She could see he was serious about the game at hand, and seemed upset that his grandfather was distracted during the game.

"I'll sit it out, but I know Crosby here wants to play." Raina said to him with a smile.

"You know the rules?" Alex asked, not even looking up from his hand. Raina always laughed when she saw how seriously he took the game.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Crosby said, smiling.

"Good." He said. "Four ten's." He put down the last of his cards, looking around the table for someone to call him a liar.

"Bullshit!" Raina's grandfather yelled.

Alex proudly turned over the four cards he set down to reveal the four tens he had, and everyone threw their cards down in disgust.

"I'm out." One of Raina's great aunts said, standing up to leave.

"You sure you want to take me on?" Alex asked Crosby as he collected the cards to shuffle, and then deal them out.

"Sure, why not?" He answered with a smile.

Raina watched as Alex dealt the cards to everyone, and then signaled for her grandfather to start. Raina sat back and watched for a moment, enjoying watching Crosby concentrate hard on doing well on the hand. She always wanted to see someone take on her cousin and actually win.

"Hey, there you are." Troy's friend, Kyle, said when he walked up to Raina.

"Hey, long time no see." Raina said, standing up to give him a hug.

"Tell me about it. I am here to tell you that Troy wants to talk to you." He said to her quietly.

"Feelings really aren't mutual." She responded, rolling her eyes.

"He sent me to be good. He said if you don't come, he is going to make a scene that both you and Ronnie don't want."

Raina groaned.

"Fine." She said. "Crosby, I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Have to go and talk to someone." She said, giving him a quick kiss. "You keep playing and kick my cousins ass."

"I'll remember that." Alex responded, watching Crosby, waiting for him to make his next move.

Raina walked away from the group with Kyle towards where Troy was sitting. She knew he was there, and could tell he was watching her every move, but tried her best to ignore him. She didn't want to see him, however, she knew she had to talk to him. It had been five years, and she figured she might as well do what she should have done from the beginning.

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There you have it! PLEASE tell me what you think! I love to hear what you have to say. I want to make sure you guys are still enjoying the story! :)


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry about the cliffhanger last time, but at least I didn't make you all wait too long. Hopefully this will answer some questions, but all of her secrets won't come out in this chapter. They will definitely be answered in the next chapter. Please tell me what you think! :)

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Raina walked across the room with Kyle and then took the seat next to Troy, who watched her as she sat down.

"You beckoned?" She asked.

"I've seen you once in five years, and that is the greeting I get?" He asked, crossing his arms, turning towards her.

"Honestly, I would have gone for never again, but unfortunately, my brothers have different plans for me." She responded, crossing her arms as well.

"You're so God damn cute when you're mad." Troy sarcastically responded to her.

"What do you want, Troy?" She asked.

"Nice guy you are dating over there. How much have you lied to him?" He asked, pointing towards Crosby.

"Haven't lied to him at all. Are we finished?" She asked.

"Always like you to run away from things, instead of dealing with them head on."

"Always like you to hold a grudge." She responded, glaring at him.

"Well shit, Ina, I wake up one morning and you are gone. Your stuff, that damn cat of yours, everything, without a warning or anything. What do you expect from me?"  
Raina shook her head.

"You know that it was a rough time for me."

"And it wasn't for me? How would you feel if the one person you turned too during everything disappeared, and then after she disappeared, you receive divorce papers? Do you have any idea what that did to me?"

"I couldn't handle it all anymore. "

"Not a good enough excuse, Ina." He responded angrily. "I can never forgive you for what you have done to me."

"I can never forgive myself!" She cried, standing up. "Why are you doing this to me? It's in the past. Let's forget about the past! That's all I want to do, but you and Mom just don't seem to want to do that."

"What does your mom have to do with this?"

"Turns out she still has a fucking sonogram that she hangs up."

"And you haven't noticed that before now?"

"No, because she takes it down when I'm home. However, she forgot to do it this time, and Crosby saw it."

"Aw, loverboy knows your secret." He said, laughing at her.

"No, he doesn't. He thinks that it is Ronnie and Hillary's."

"And he believed you? Damn, he's a dumbass."

Raina turned to walk away at the comment, but Troy grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"He is nothing. You know that. He is just a filler until you realize who you are supposed to be with. You and I have always been meant to be together." He said to her. She could tell that he was sad at that point, but she didn't care.

"Troy, it is over between us. Please, just accept that." She said, then walked away from him, going back to where Crosby was sitting.

"How are you doing?" She asked, putting a smile on her face.

"I'm actually not loosing right now." He said, smiling at her.

"He's not winning either." Alex said with an evil smile on his face.

"You need to be nice, little cousin." Raina said, taking the seat next to Crosby.

"This conversation is not over." Troy said, walking up to her at that moment.

"Troy, please don't start this now, at my brother's wedding. Can we pick this up tomorrow?"

"You would like that, wouldn't you? That way you can go into hiding again, and I never find you."

Raina made a face. It was what she had hoped, but knew she wasn't going to get away with it again.

"If you would just take a moment, and talk about everything, I would leave you alone. The last time I saw you, you screamed for five minutes, and then ran. It's what you are so good at anymore."

"Fine. What do I have to do to get rid of you?" She asked.

"Tell loverboy over here who I really am."

Crosby was watching the two of them by this point, a little uncomfortable about what was going on.

"Can we please do all of this another night?" She pleaded.

"No, let's do it now." He said with a smile.

Raina felt like she was going to vomit. She didn't care too much about telling Crosby who he was, it was everything else that made her sick to her stomach.

"Crosby, this is Troy." She said, not looking at him.

"Yeah, I met him last night." He said, confused.

"My ex-husband." She finished, making a face.

"You were married?" He asked, astonished.

Raina nodded, looking up at him.

"And you felt the need to not tell me why?" He asked.

"Because it's my past, and I like to forget my past, no matter how it likes to try to ruin my life." She glared at Troy.

He nodded, glancing over at Troy.

"I'm guessing there is more to this story, since he's so angry." Crosby asked, watching Raina.

"Tell him how you ended it."

"I really don't want too." She really wished she could disappear at that moment.

"Oh please, do tell." Troy said, taking a seat. He was enjoying the moment.

Crosby watched Raina, waiting for her to answer.

"I left one morning before Troy woke up, and went to Florida." She answered slowly. "He received the divorce papers a month later."

"What did you do to deserve that?" He asked Troy.

"Not a damn thing. Things got rough, and she decided to bail instead of dealing with it head on."

"What?" He asked.

"That we are not talking about." Raina warned, glaring at Troy.

"Yeah, that isn't too important." Troy agreed, clamming up.

"It must be important enough to ruin the marriage." Crosby said, crossing his arms.

"This attitude ruined the marriage." Raina said, glaring at Troy.

"You know that is bullshit Ina. The attitude started after you ran away. Things were perfect before you disappeared."

"Then why did I disappear?" She asked.

"Obviously there is more going on here than I know, and I think I am just going to leave you two be." Crosby said, then walked away.

"I really do hate you." Raina said, glaring at Troy. She then ran after Crosby, who was leaving the reception. She caught up with him outside as he started to walk down the gravel road towards town.

"Crosby, please stop." Raina said, trying her hardest to run in her heels.

"So you can lie to me some more? No thanks." He said.

"Not once have I lied to you. I may have avoided the truth, but I did not lie to you." She responded, standing in front of him, forcing him to stop.

"You did not feel the need to tell me that you were married before?"

"There was no need too. Troy is my past. I am trying my hardest to forget about my past, but people are making it very hard to do that."

"What possibly could have been so bad that you want to forget about your past?"

She shook her head. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

"More secrets. More lies." He said, walking past her, but Raina grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Crosby, please. You have to understand that it kills me what happened before, and there is a reason why I ran from it. I don't like to talk about it. I don't like to think about it. The whole thing haunts me till this day."

"So that is what you do when things get rough, you run from them?"

She didn't say anything.

"Is that what may happen one day between us? One night we have an argument, and the next morning, you just mysteriously disappear? I don't want that with us. I don't want to wonder if you are going to run or not. I want to be able to trust you, and right now, I can't say that I do."

"You are going to take the words of someone you just met?" She angrily asked.

"He's not just anybody. He is someone that was important enough in your life to where you married him. You shared a life with him. Whatever happened, it pissed him off enough to where five years later, he is still pissed off at you. That is raising a ton of flags in my eyes, and honestly, I don't know what I want to do with this."

Raina watched as he walked down the road. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, angry at the nights events. She ran inside to find Jeremy, and found him dancing with Savannah on the dance floor.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked when he saw his sister walk up to him.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course." He answered.

"Can you get in your car and drive down the road to where Crosby is, and then drive him to Aunt Karen's? He doesn't know where he is going."

"Why can't you do it?"

Raina just glared at her brother.

"Ah, guess Troy got to him, eh?"

"Just do it." She said, taking Savannah from him.

Jeremy nodded, walking out of the building. He got in his car and headed down the road. He almost immediately found Crosby, and pulled up next to him.

"Get in." He said to Crosby.

Crosby looked at Jeremy, debating on whether or not to get in.

"I'm taking you to Aunt Karen's, not back to the reception." He said, watching him.

Crosby sighed, then got in the car.

"Everything alright?" Jeremy asked after a long silence in the car.

"Everything is fine." Crosby answered.

"You know, Troy talks a lot of shit, and he really shouldn't blame everything on Raina."

"Did she disappear out of nowhere, instead of dealing with the problem?" Crosby asked.

Jeremy nodded.

"Enough reason for me to leave." He said. "How can I trust that she won't do it again?"

Jeremy nodded.

"I hate to ask you this, but I really don't have much of a choice, but can you give me a ride to the airport in the morning?"

"Either Ronnie or myself will give you a ride." He answered.

Crosby nodded, looking back out the window.

Jeremy pulled up to his aunts house, and he watched as Crosby crawled out of the car.

"Thanks." He said, then walked inside.

Jeremy stared at Crosby, then drove back towards the reception. With everything that he gathered, he had a feeling that Crosby didn't know the whole story, and only parts of it. He didn't think he would be leaving if he knew the whole story about what had happened. He sighed, deciding to leave it alone. He couldn't clean up his sisters mess again.

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There you have it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think! Love to hear it. :) It makes me happy to see new e-mails while I am working. :)


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you guys sooo much for all the reviews! You guys are awesome. And for that, here is another update, and Raina's other secret is officially revealed. Enjoy! :)

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Raina woke up the next morning in her old bedroom at her parents' house. She felt as if a train had hit her, and she immediately wanted to go back to sleep. She was hoping that the night before was all a nightmare, but unfortunately, her wish didn't come true.

Raina crawled out of bed and walked downstairs to where she saw Jeremy and Ronnie sitting and talking.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Raina asked her brothers.

"Wanted to talk to you, little sis." Ronnie sarcastically said, smiling at her.

"I don't really want to talk." She responded, grabbing herself a cup of coffee. "You two are the reason that I am in this mess."

"How do you figure?" Ronnie asked, getting defensive.

"You invited Troy to the wedding, knowing that I cannot stand being in the same room as him. Why would you do that to me?"

"Okay, when we invited Troy, we didn't even think that you would be bringing Crosby. That happened after the fact." Jeremy said to his sister.

"And we invited him because he was part of the family at one point. Just because you two don't get along, it doesn't mean that we still don't get along with him."

"You are supposed to be on my side of things!"

"We are! We just think that it has been five years, and it is definitely time to hash it out and get over it already. You are the one who brought this on yourself, not us. We just made you deal with it head on." Ronnie explained.

"I really hate you two sometimes." Raina said, shaking her head.

"Something tells us that you haven't told Crosby the whole truth." Ronnie said, watching his sister.

"No, I didn't."

"You know if you would have told him everything, you may not be in the predicament you are in right now."

"I shouldn't have to talk about it." She said, scowling at her brother.

"Just saying little sis." Ronnie said.

"Have you guys seen him?" She asked, curious.

"I am actually taking him to the airport this morning." Ronnie said.

Raina sighed, depressed at what he said.

"It's not too late." Jeremy said.

She took a sip of her coffee.

"Just tell him that I'm sorry, but that's all I can offer him at this time. I am just not ready to tell him everything."

Ronnie nodded, watching his sister leave the kitchen.

Ronnie walked out of the house and headed over to Karen's house to pick up Crosby. When he got inside, he went downstairs to see Crosby finishing up packing his things.

"You need help?" Ronnie asked.

"Yeah." He said, closing up his suitcase. The two guys each grabbed some bags and then headed up to put the things in the back of his car. They then headed out of the town towards the airport.

"Sure we can't change your mind about going?" Ronnie asked as they neared the airport.

"Yeah, sorry. I had fun though. Congrats on the wedding." Crosby said, smiling at Ronnie.

"Thanks." He responded. "Can I say something?"

"Do I have a choice?" Crosby asked.

Ronnie smiled.

"You are mad at my sister for running away from her problems, right?" He asked.

He nodded.

"But yet, you don't know the whole story?"

"No, but she made it clear that she didn't want to tell me the story."

"She probably doesn't. It was pretty bad, what happened to her and Troy."

Crosby glanced over at him.

"It messed her up for a long time. But she has grown up since then. She's not the same person she used to be."

"Are you trying to tell me that she will face problems head on now, and not run?"

"I'm saying that I don't think she would do that again."

"She still isn't facing what happened to this day. What exactly happened?"

"That is not for me to tell. She will tell you, when the time is right."

"I can't accept that. I'm having a very hard time trusting her right now."

"And I don't blame you. However, aren't you technically doing the same thing that she did?"

Crosby was silent at the comment.

"She's still in town, and wanted to talk to you about everything, but yet, you are leaving."

"It's not the same thing." He said, trying to defend himself.

"How is it different?"

"She was married to him. Me and her weren't really dating."

"Not really dating, eh? Sure fooled me." Ronnie said, pulling up to the airport.

Crosby glanced over at him.

"You came to spend two weeks with her and her family. I saw the way you two were in the few days you were here. I'm sorry, but you are in deeper than you thought."

Crosby didn't say a word.

Ronnie pulled up to the drop off and parked the car.

"I really think you should call her. She may just surprise you." Ronnie said.

Crosby shook his head.

"I can't right now." He said. "Thanks for the ride."

Ronnie watched as Crosby got out of the car, and then collect his things. Ronnie sighed, then slowly headed home.

Meanwhile, Raina sat in her room, staring at the ceiling, wondering what Crosby was doing. A lot of things were going through her mind, and she couldn't believe the events of the past twenty-four hours. She glanced at her phone for the hundredth time that morning, and then threw it down when she saw that nobody had called. She sat up and went to her closet and opened it, glancing at everything that had been untouched since the last time she was there. She reached onto the top shelf and moved things around until she saw a shoebox. She pulled it down, and then sat it on her bed. She quickly locked the door so nobody would come in, and then sat down on her bed, opening the box slowly.

She brought out the secret pictures and a soft, pink blanket that everyone had thought she had destroyed. She brought the blanket to her face and took a deep breath, taking in the familiar smell of the baby she once had. She glanced at the many pictures she had in the box, and smiled through her tears at Avery. She tried to remember the happy times, but couldn't help but think about the day she found out that Avery had died. It was nobody's fault, and it wasn't even an accident. The coroner had declared that Avery had died of SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Avery was only a week old when it happened, and Raina and Troy had only had her home for a few days. When she had died, it had killed Troy and Raina inside, and their marriage suffered because of it. Raina had tried to forget about what had happened, but the guilt of not being able to help her child was too much, and it eventually drove her away from home.

"Raina, are you in there?" Jeremy asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah." She said, quickly throwing the pictures and blanket into the shoebox. She wiped away the tears quickly, shoving the box under her bed.

"Why is the door locked? What are you doing?"

"Nothing. I'm coming." She said, shutting her closet door quietly. She then walked over to the door and opened it. She saw Jeremy standing there with Savannah on his hip, smiling at the sight of her aunt.

"Ronnie is back in town, and Hillary is here, and we wanted to know if you wanted to come down while they opened wedding gifts."

"Sure." She said, forcing a smile on her face.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah. Let me have Savannah." She said, taking her niece from him. She carried her downstairs and took a seat in the recliner across from where Hillary and Ronnie were sitting. She held onto Savannah while she played with the toy in her hands, and her heart was heavy while doing so. She was barely paying attention to what was going on, deep in thought as she watched Savannah play in her lap. Ronnie and Jeremy both noticed her as well, but decided to ignore it at the time.

Just then, Raina heard her cell phone ring.

"Where's my purse?" She asked, looking around.

"Right here, Aunt Raina." Seth said, grabbing her purse and bringing it to her.

Raina dug in her purse for her phone and saw that work was calling her. She immediately knew that it was not going to be good news.

"Either you forgot I'm on vacation, or it's so important you had to call me and ruin my vacation." Raina answered.

"It is something that couldn't wait." Sandy said on the other line.

"Hold on." She said, standing up. She handed Savannah off to her mother, and then walked out of the room so she wasn't interrupting what was going on.

"What's up?" Raina asked, sitting on the steps on the deck.

"We had to make more cut-backs." She said.

"And let me guess, I am on that list." Raina said, her heart sinking.

"I'm afraid so. We just won't be needing you when you get back to town." Sandy said. Raina could tell she wasn't happy with the decision as well.

"So, are you calling me in the beginning of my vacation to tell me that my vacation is gone too, and won't get paid for it? I could have myself a lawsuit if that is true." Raina angrily asked.

"No. We can't do that. We have approved this vacation, and you went on your vacation. The decision was made while you were on vacation. You will get paid for it, we just won't be needing you when you get back. I'm very sorry." Sandy said to her.

Raina shook her head, feeling the tears form.

"What if you guys ever do start to hire again?"

"Come back and put an application in. You are a great employee. One of the best. The owners have just found someone who can do your job for less pay, that is all."

"This economy is pissing me off." Raina said, shaking her head. She couldn't help but feel that things couldn't get any worse at that point right now.

"I'm really sorry, Ina. When you get back to town, stop by to get your stuff so we can talk more."

"Yeah. I'm going to go. I'm missing my brother's wedding festivities." Raina said, then hung up the phone. She sat there, dumbfounded by the phone call. She couldn't believe that she was just laid off at that point, and didn't know what she was going to do to pay bills.

Raina quickly texted her friend Heather to let her know what had just happened, and to see if she would say anything about the Oyster Shack hiring. She then headed inside, putting a smile on her face, and she immediately heard the laughter and talking coming from the living room. She walked in and took her seat back, and Seth ran up to her and sat down in her lap.

"What's wrong, Aunt Ina?" Seth asked.

"Nothing." She said, smiling at her nephew.

"I'm bored." He whispered in her ear with a smile.

"If you're lucky, there may be something in that pile for you." Raina said to her nephew with a smile.

"Nuh uh." He said, crossing his arms.

She shrugged her shoulders, smiling at him.

"Hey, there is something here for a Mr. Seth, and a Ms. Savannah." Hillary said, holding up two presents.

Seth looked at his aunt with his mouth open, and Raina just nudged him to go over to where Hillary was.

"Someone must really love you." Hillary said with a smile.

Raina watched as her nephew tore into the present she had gotten him. She tried to bring him and her niece a present every time she came to town, since she wasn't able to spoil them more than that.

"What was the phone call?" Jeremy asked, leaning towards his sister.

"Tell you later." She said to him, not wanting to spoil the moment. She watched as the presents and cards were opened one by one, and she tried her best to forget everything that was going on in her life. She heard her phone ring, and glanced to see that Heather had texted her.

_"Jerry said get to the Oyster Shack. You're hired."_

Raina sighed. At least she had a job to go back too.

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There you have it! Please tell me what you think! I may update quicker with reviews! :)


	16. Chapter 16

Another update, but it's a very short chapter. Dont' know when I would be able to update again, so I thought I'd throw this one out there for you all until I can get another update out there.

Hope you all enjoy! :)

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Raina crawled under her car to drain the oil from her car, and then crawled back out while she waited for the oil to be done. She then went to start unpacking the boxes that contained her new rims for her car that she had ordered awhile ago. She was excited to get them on her car, and couldn't wait to see what it looked like.

"Do you not work today?" Someone asked from behind Raina. She spun around to see a couple of familiar faces she wasn't expecting to see walk up to her.

"No, have the day off. What are you two doing here?" She asked Mike and Lacey as they walked up here.

"We were visiting family not far from here, and decided to stop by to see you." Lacey said, smiling at her.

"Love the oil look. It's definitely the way to go." Mike joked, leaning against Nicole's car.

"How did you two find out where I live?" She asked, confused.

"We stopped by the animal hospital, and they told us you don't work there anymore, so we tried the restaurant, and your friend Slick told us where you lived."

"Nice to know they are so forward in giving out that information." She said, throwing her rag down on the ground.

"What's been going on?" Lacey asked.

"Just trying to keep myself busy." She responded, pulling out another one of her new rims out of the box.

"Those are nice." Mike said, looking at them closer.

"Getting ready to put them on, once the oil is done draining from my car." She said.

"So, you going to the camping trip this weekend?" Mike asked.

"What camping trip?" She asked.

"The one that Crosby is having up in Vermont." Mike answered, setting the tire down.

"Nope, I am not." She answered, crawling back under her car to plug up where the oil had come out of. She removed the oil filter while she was under there.

"And why not?" He asked, handing her the new oil filter that she was looking for at that point.

"You guys must not talk to Crosby too much, huh?" She asked, starting to put the new oil filter on her car.

"We do. However, we think it's dumb how you two left things, and I think you should come with us anyway." Lacey said.

"You two are going?" She asked, coming out from under her car.

"Of course. We try to go every time he has an outing." Mike said.

Raina nodded, setting the container the oil was in aside.

"He's the one who left me. I have tried contacting him, but he hasn't responded."

"Do you think he would have been as angry if you would have just told him in the first place that you were married before?" Lacey asked her.

"I don't know. Probably. It wouldn't have been as bad as it was when he found out."

"Then why did you not tell him?"

Raina shook her head, starting to put the new oil in her car.

"There is a lot to the story that you guys just don't know." She answered, not looking at them.

"What is that?" Mike asked.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't like talking about it." She said, sighing.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want too, however, shouldn't you try to talk about it to Crosby, before he finds out the rest of the story from someone else? Don't you think he would appreciate it coming from you?" Lacey asked her.

Raina sighed at the comment, knowing she was right.

"He just needs to realize he's being a dumbass." Mike said at that point, trying to change the subject a little, sensing that Raina was getting upset with the conversation.

"Yeah, we want you to come with us to help him realize this." Lacey said with a smile.

Raina shook her head, smiling to herself.

"Not really a good time for me, guys." She said.

"Why?" Mike asked.

"If you didn't already realize, I have had a lot of shit go on in the past couple of weeks. I lost my job, Crosby stopped talking to me because of something that I did five years ago and can't take back, my roommate, as wonderful as she is, let my cat loose outside, and I still haven't found her, and has given me less than a month to find a new place."

"Wait, she let your cat loose?" Lacey asked.

"Yeah. Isn't she just special." Raina said, making a face. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes again. She was starting to fear the worst about Honey, and she couldn't believe that Nicole had done that to her, but she couldn't even begin to wonder why she had done what she did.

"Why would she do that?" She asked her.

"To be a bitch. I don't know." She said, shaking her head. "So, in reality, I cannot afford to leave for a weekend, because I have to find a new place to live, and I just started a new job."

"It's the perfect time to move to Seattle." Mike said with a smile.

Raina smiled and shook her head at the comment.

"As nice as that sounds right now, I can't run from my problems. Just have to deal with them head on. Plus, I am making some major dollars right now at Oyster Shack, since it is summer time. I don't want to pass that up just yet."

"Well, if you change your mind, just let us know." Lacey said.

"About moving?"

"That, and going up to the camping trip." She said, smiling.

Raina nodded.

"How long are you guys in town for?"

"We actually head back to Seattle tonight." Mike said. "We just wanted to stop by to say hi to you if we could find you."

"Well, it was good seeing you guys. Next time you're down, you should let me know before the day you leave. We can get together for drinks or something."

"Sounds like a plan to us." Mike said, smiling at her.

She gave the two of them hugs, and then watched as they left. She sighed, and went back to finishing up her car. As she was putting the last of her new tires on, she watched as Nicole walk out of the house and head towards her car.

"Find my cat yet?" Raina angrily asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"If I had, I ran her over." Nicole said, slamming the door shut to her car. She then sped off, and Raina threw something in her direction, screaming to herself. She couldn't wait to move out of the house, but didn't want to leave until the last possible second in case Honey made her way back to the house. She wanted to be there for when, and if, it happened.

When Raina was done with her car, she quickly put everything away and headed inside to take a shower. Once she was done, she went back to packing her things in her room. She already knew that she was going to be moving in with her friend Kelly and her boyfriend Aaron. They had an extra bedroom that they were willing to temporarily rent to her until Raina knew what she wanted to do.

Raina laid down on her bed when she was done for the night and sighed. She grabbed her cell phone and decided to text Crosby, again, to see if he would respond.

_"Really do miss you. Wish you would talk to me. I'm sorry I wasn't straight forward with you from the beginning, but I am now ready to tell you everything. No more secrets. Please call me."_

She sent the text, and hoped that he would respond. She fell asleep waiting for a response that wouldn't come.

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There you have it. Thanks again for all the reviews. I love to read them, so please keep them coming. :)


	17. Chapter 17

Had some time to update - so here it is. Thank you all again for the reviews! Please keep them coming. It's music to my ears. :)

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Raina sat on her car watching her friend, Brandi, clean her Scion xB. It had been a few weeks since Mike and Lacey had shown up, and she was officially living with Kelly. She had found Honey a few days prior to then, soaking wet, some weight lost, and with a few cuts and sores, but in overall good health. She was just grateful that Honey was found alive. She was at her friend's house to help Brandi detail the car, something Brandi loved doing, but it took a long time, and always seemed to talk Raina into helping her.

"The car is looking nice." Raina said to her with a smile.

"Thanks, but not nearly as good as yours is looking. I love the new rims."

"Me too, but I'm ready to do more to it." She said to her, stepping back to take a look at her car. The rims looked great, and Raina was excited by the way it turned out.

"What did you want to do next to it?" She asked her.

"Now that it's a new color on the outside, time to redo the inside." She said with a grin.

"That's the fun thing about cars. Once it's done, you can start over again." Brandi agreed with a laugh.

"How's work?" Raina asked, glancing over at her friend. Brandi still worked at the animal hospital, and wasn't victim to any of the cutbacks that they had done.

"Honestly, it's awful. I feel as if everyone is so scared to be laid off, that everyone is walking on eggshells, and that is causing more mistakes and problems than anything. Be glad you aren't there anymore."

Raina nodded.

"Things are going well at the restaurant, right?" She asked her.

"Yeah. Making some nice cash there, since it's the summertime. It's the only good things about working at that place. However, come see me in the winter. I will be singing a different tune."

Brandi laughed at the comment. She noticed Raina rubbing her stomach at that point, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I have indigestion." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Take some tums. I have some in my purse over there." Brandi said, pointing to her bag on the steps to the house.

Raina walked over and grabbed a couple and took them.

"What time do you have to be to work?"

Raina looked at her phone, which was in her back pocket, and saw that she had to be there in a couple hours.

"Soon. I should probably think about finishing up here and going home to take a shower."

Brandi nodded.

"Ever hear from Crosby?"

Raina shook her head, throwing some of her things into her trunk.

"He'll come around. You can't go from talking to someone every day for years to not talking to them all at once." Brandi said.

Raina sighed, knowing that one could. Nobody in Florida knew about her past, and that was one of the reasons she loved Florida. Not even Nicole knew what had happened, since her and her family moved from Iowa. She had no ties to the town, so didn't hear any of the gossip that happened there.

"I am going to go." She said at that point, not in the mood to stay there any longer.

"No problem. Maybe I'll come up to visit you tonight or something."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Raina went home to shower and get ready for her shift that evening at work. It was a Saturday, so she knew that they were going to be busy before she even arrived. She was looking forward to it, so that she could keep her mind busy on things other than the drama in her life.

A few hours into her shift, she had a section full of tables and was getting ready to run food to help her other co-workers out when Kelly came up to her.

"Raina, table ten is looking for you." She said to her. Raina groaned at what Kelly said. The table she was talking about was the same table that was giving her a hard time all night. She wished they would leave, but they kept on asking for more things, and also treating her lower than dirt. She was starting to wonder if they were ever going to leave. She headed back to the outside deck where she was working that evening, and walked up to the rowdy table of guys.

"We need another round of drinks!" One of the guys yelled, and the table cheered to the comment.

"Coming right up, boys." Raina said, then walked up to the bar where Nate was standing.

"You cutting them off after this round?" Nate asked.

"Definitely." She responded as she put the round of drinks into the computer system. She quickly handed out the drinks to the guys, then headed over to a new table that had been sat to get their order.

As she was heading to the computer to enter their order, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Crosby standing by the bar, watching her.

"What do you want?" She asked, going up to the computer to enter the order.

"I feel as if we should talk."

Raina laughed, shaking her head, as she put the order into the computer.

"What?" He asked.

"I was ready to talk weeks ago. Now, when it's convenient for you, you decide to just show up out of nowhere?" She asked, hitting send on the computer.

"I know, I should have been here sooner."

"No, you never should have left." She said, turning towards him.

"Now you know how Troy felt." He muttered to himself.

"No, you don't get to teach me a lesson about what happened with Troy and me. You do not know the circumstances that we were under. That is not fair, at all."

"I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Raina crossed her arms, looking at him.

"Oh gorgeous!" The table of guys yelled for her.

"I have to get back to work. If you want to wait for me, then that is fine. If not, then nice seeing you."

Raina walked away from Crosby, heading back to the table of guys that she knew were going to ask for more to drink. When she broke the news to them that they were cut off for the evening, they all expressed their disgust in uproar. Jerry ended up having to come out to help Raina and Nate escort them out of the restaurant.

Raina finished her shift a few hours later, and sat at the bar to have her shift drink. Crosby walked up and took the seat next to her, and was surprised to see him still there.

"Surprised you stayed." She said, taking a sip of the beer that Nate had set in front of her.

"I didn't fly all the way down here to just say hey." He said to her, glancing at her. It had killed him to not talk to her, and he didn't even realize how much he missed her until he saw her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you from the beginning about Troy." She said.

"I thought we told each other everything, but I guess not."

She sighed.

"In reality, I was really more upset about the fact of how you ended things with him. You just left him, when things got tough. Is that what is going to happen between us?" He added.

"The situation with Troy and me is more complicated than you think it is."

"Well, you have said that you are ready to talk, and I am now ready to listen."

She shook her head.

"Not here. Nobody here knows about this, and plus, it's really not the place for it either."

"Fine, let's go then." He said.

Raina nodded, standing up. She had only a sip of her beer, but felt that the drink left a bad taste in her mouth, and didn't want any more of it. She quickly said her good-byes to everyone, then drove the two of them towards her place.

"Where are we?" He asked, looking around.

"I live here now with my friend Kelly and Aaron." She said.

"What happened to your last place?"

"Nicole kicked me out, which is fine. She let my cat go, the dumb bitch." She said, shaking her head.

"Well, a lot has happened since I saw you last." He said, watching her. "Why did she let your cat go?"

"Hell if I know. Her boyfriend said the cat bit her, and she wanted it out, however, she has yet to prove where Honey bit her."

Crosby just shook his head.

"I'm sorry she did that."

Raina parked her car, shrugging off the past of her and Nicole, and then the two of them headed inside. She grabbed a couple of waters for the two of them and then led him towards her room.

"Sit." She said, pointing to her bed. She handed him one of the bottles of water, setting hers on her desk, and then rummaged through her closet for the shoebox. She knew when she brought the shoebox home with her that she was starting to cope with what had happened better, since she didn't have anything that resembled Avery in Florida. She set the shoebox down in front of Crosby, and then took a seat next to him.

"You're crying." He said, looking at her.

"And I will continue to cry. Just open it up before I change my mind." She said, taking a drink.

Crosby went to lift the lid to the shoebox, and Raina then slammed her hand on top of it.

"You have to swear to me to not tell anybody about this. There is a reason why I haven't told anybody up until this point. It hurts me a lot, everything in this box, and the memories are almost too much for me to bear at times." She said.

"Okay." He said.

"Promise me, Crosby." She said. He could see the fear and pain in her eyes.

"If you aren't ready for this, we can wait." He offered.

"If we don't do this now, it'll never happen." She said.

Raina removed her hand, and she felt sick to her stomach, but didn't stop Crosby from removing the lid to the shoebox. He removed the baby blanket and pictures and looked through them, trying to put two and two together. Raina grabbed the blanket and smelt it, clutching it tightly, closing her eyes, seeing the image of Avery in her mind.

"Who is this?" He asked her quietly, looking over at her.

"Her name is Avery." She said softly, wiping away tears. "She is my daughter."

"You have a kid?" He asked, confused.

"Had." She corrected him. "She died when she was a week old."

"Oh my god." He said under his breath.

"She died of SIDS." She said.

"What's that?"

"Sudden Infant Death Syndrome." She answered. "Nobody knows why it happens, it just does."

"I am so sorry." He said to her.

"This is what ended Troy's and my marriage." She said. "The screaming and yelling between the two of us got to be too much. I tried staying to work through it, but leaving was the only way I could get away from everything."

He shook his head, looking at the pictures of a very happy Raina holding the newborn.

"I feel like such a failure." She said softly through her sobs, clutching onto the baby blanket.

"Why do you feel like a failure?" He asked. "You just said that there was nothing that could be done."

"I couldn't protect her. A mother should be able to protect her child. I couldn't do that."

Crosby put his arms around Raina, bringing her close to him.

"I could have been a great mother." She said softly. "She was such a great little girl. Why did God take her away from me so soon?"

"He must have needed her up there with him more than with you." He said. "He has better plans for her."

She didn't say a word, just held onto him tightly.

"I'm so sorry that this happened to you." He said to her, kissing her forehead.

She nodded.

"After five years, this blanket still smells like her." She said, holding onto it tightly. "But the smell is starting to fade."

Crosby sighed at the comment, not knowing what to say to her at that point. After a long silence, Crosby decided to ask if she wanted to hide everything again.

"Yeah. Time to go back in its hole." She said, putting the pictures and blanket back into the shoe box. She got up and put it back in her closet, then turned back towards Crosby, who was watching her.

"Do you understand now why I didn't want to talk about this?"

He nodded.

"Now I would appreciate it if I never had to talk about it again."

"I promise I will not bring it up again, unless you are the one who initiates the conversation."

She nodded, sighing.

"I'm sorry." He said to her. "I shouldn't have left."

"No, you shouldn't have." She said, wiping the tears from her cheek. "You did the same thing I did to Troy in a way, yet, you were mad at me for doing it."

He sighed, nodding.

"I shouldn't have left. I agree. I was angry, and not thinking."

She nodded.

"Come on. It's been a long day for the both of us. How about we get some sleep?" He suggested.

She smiled a small smile at him, agreeing. The two of them quickly changed and crawled into bed next to each other, and Crosby brought her towards him, holding her close.

"Thank you." She said to him quietly.

"I am always here for you." He responded.

She nodded, trying to calm down from everything, but couldn't get the sick feeling out of her stomach.

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Please review! May update sooner if you do! :)


	18. Chapter 18

Thank you so much for the reviews! Keep them coming! :)

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Raina stood right outside of the dining area at the Oyster Shack trying to get some fresh air. She had a moment to herself, since all of her tables were content with what they had at the moment, and she took the opportunity to step outside to get a moment to herself.

"Raina, what are you doing out here?" Kelly asked, walking outside to where she was at.

"Just needed a moment." She said, smiling at her friend.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just not feeling too well." She said, making a face.

"You haven't felt well for awhile now. What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know. I think it's the stress of everything that has been going on with me lately. I still need to find a place to live, and I just don't know where I am going to go yet."

"You know you don't have to rush out of the house anytime soon. Aaron and I don't mind you being there. It's actually been kind of fun having you there."

"Thanks, but I really don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Hey, you are helping us pay our mortgage, I am happy with that." Kelly said with a grin.

Raina smiled at her friend.

"Come on. If you keep yourself busy, maybe you will forget about not feeling well."

Raina nodded, making her way back inside. It was a gorgeous day outside, and the place was busy, which was not unusual for that time of the year. She was working a long shift that day, her only one that week, and wasn't even halfway through with it by then, and the pain in her stomach was making it almost unbearable to get through the day.

Raina felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and she quickly walked away from the customers to check to see what it was. She smiled when she saw it was Crosby who was texting her.

_"Wish you were here to say bye. You better be up here for when I get back!"_

Raina made a face. He was leaving to go up north for salmon season for a month, and she hated that she wouldn't be in contact with him for that long. She wanted to fly up to Seattle for the weekend, which is where he was with Mike and Lacey, to be with him before he left, but was unable to get the time off work, no matter how much she begged. She already did know, however, that she was going to be in Seattle for when he got back, and she couldn't wait until that time had come.

"Raina, you got another table." The hostess told her, walking by.

Raina nodded, putting her phone back in her pocket quickly, then heading back out to her section. She quickly got the drinks for her new table, and started to get their order when she started to feel light headed. The customers noticed it too, and asked if she was okay.

"Yeah." She said, fanning herself with her hand.

"Do you need to go inside to the air conditioning? You are pale white." One of the customers asked, waving their menu in her face.

Raina took a deep breath, forcing a smile on her face.

"I'll be okay. I'll get your orders, and then go inside to put it in, instead of staying out here." She said.

The customers, not sure if she was alright to keep working, gave her their orders, and just like Raina said, walked inside to the air-conditioning to put the order into the system.

"Raina, you okay?" Nate asked, walking up to her. He had seen her outside and followed her to make sure she was okay.

"Yeah, just got light headed." She answered, taking a drink of the cold water.

"You got pale. You sure you should stay?" He asked.

Raina nodded, taking another sip of the drink.

"I'll be fine." She said, standing up, but she immediately fell back to her seat.

"You are going home." Nate said. "I will find someone to drive you home."

Raina sighed, taking another drink of her water. She felt nauseous, and wanted nothing more than to crawl in bed and sleep for the rest of the day.

"Come on, Ina. Let's get you home." Jerry said, walking up to her.

"I'm sorry." She said, looking up at him.

"Don't be. You should never have come in. We could have done it without you."

She sighed, letting Jerry help her outside to his car.

"What about my car?" She asked, not liking the idea of it staying at the restaurant overnight.

"Kelly and Aaron can bring it home later if you want."

"Hell no. Nobody is allowed to drive my car."

"Then get it tomorrow."

Jerry drove Raina to the house, and she immediately went inside and crawled into bed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard her cell phone ringing. She reached over and glanced and saw that Crosby was calling her.

"Hey." She groggily answered the phone.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"I feel as if I am dying." She said, crawling under her covers more to block out the sunlight coming through her window.

"Well, I sure hope you aren't dying. I sure would miss you." He said with a smirk.

"I'm sure I'll live." She responded. "What are you doing?"

"Mike and I are waiting for our flight up to Alaska." He said. "I wanted to call and see what you were up too before we left. Still was kind of hoping you would surprise me and show up, but by the sounds of it, you are bedridden."

"Unfortunately, I am. My boss brought me home from work, that's how bad I am." She said, wishing that she really was there, feeling normal, than in her bed sick. "I really did try my hardest to get up there before now."

"I know. I just like to wish. I just may have to fly down there when I get back and spend time there."

She smiled.

"Hopefully I will have my own place when you come down to visit me again." She said, suddenly feeling the urge to vomit. "I really hate to do this to you, but I have to go. I really don't think you want to hear what I'm about to do."

"What?"

Raina hung up the phone, leaning over her bed, to vomit into the trash can that sat by her bed. She then laid back in her bed, groaning. She picked up her phone to text Crosby quickly before she fell asleep.

_"I'm sorry. Did something unpleasant I wish I didn't have to do. I am going to get some sleep now. Call me before you head out if you get the chance. If not, please be safe, and I will miss you."_

Raina sent the text, and then rolled over to get some sleep, hoping that when she woke up, she would feel better.

The next morning, Raina felt much better than she had the day before. She didn't have to work that day, and she decided on relaxing in bed so that she would be ready to go back to work the next day.

"When do you leave for Seattle?" Kelly asked, driving Raina to her car.

"Not for a few weeks. I fly up a couple days before Crosby and Mike get back to spend some time with Lacey."

"That sounds like fun. I always wanted to visit up there."

"It's gorgeous. It's so much different from here. I wouldn't mind living there at all."

"You're going to leave me, aren't you?" Kelly asked, glancing at her friend.

"What makes you think that?"

"I see the way your face was with just the thought of Seattle."

Raina laughed.

"I mean, you and Crosby can't do this long distance thing forever."

"Kel, Crosby lives in Vermont, not Seattle. Why would I move there?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"You have no reason to stay here anymore. Nicole was the main reason you moved down here."

"You and the rest of my friends aren't a good enough reason to stay here?"

"Not enough. I don't see you staying, that's all."

Kelly dropped Raina off at her car, and she immediately walked around it, making sure that nothing had happened to it after sitting in the parking lot overnight. Once she was sure that everything was okay, she got in and started heading back to the house.

When she arrived, she went back to her room and climbed back into bed, bringing her laptop into bed with her. She started to search for apartments to stay in town, and then she curiously looked at places in Seattle, to compare.

Before she knew it, she was searching for job listings up in Seattle, just curious to see if there was anything worth looking into. While she was going through the job listings, she heard her phone ring. She glanced and saw that Lacey was calling her.

"Hey, what's going on?" Raina answered.

"Already wishing that it was a month from now." Lacey said, sounding a little sad.

"It'll fly by. That's what I am hoping for anyway." Raina agreed.

"What are you doing?" She asked her.

"I don't think you would believe me." Raina answered, smiling.

"What?"

"I am actually looking at job listings for Seattle." She said, laughing. "I don't know why I am doing it, but I was curious."

"Anything catch your eye?"

Raina laughed.

"Actually, I have found a couple that caught my eye."

"I really think you should send your resume. What's the worst that could happen? You never hear back? And if you do hear back, it's always good to hear what they have to say. You never know."

"I'll think about it."

"You know that I think you should move out here. It would be fun to have you out here."

"It would be a nice change." Raina heard herself say.

"Then do it!" Lacey encouraged.

Raina laughed.

"I will think about it." Raina said to her.

"And you know you can stay here until you find a place. You are more than welcome to stay here."

"Thanks." Raina answered.

The two girls chatted a bit more about Raina's trip out in a few weeks, and then Raina hung up the phone, setting it on her nightstand. She sat in bed, staring at her computer, at the job listing for a veterinary receptionist, which she loved doing, and this place had better benefits and better pay than what she was doing there in Florida. After staring at it for awhile, she clicked on the _'send resume'_ button, deciding it was worth looking into.

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There you have it! Please keep the reviews coming! :)


	19. Chapter 19

Some questions answered...hope you all enjoy. Thanks again for all the great reviews!

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Raina walked towards the baggage claim in Seattle, looking around for Lacey. She was arriving into town a couple days earlier than she had planned on, but was excited to be there finally. As the time came closer and closer, she could feel herself getting more and more excited for the trip.

"Raina!" Raina heard her name, and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw Lacey waving to her, walking her way.

"Hey, how are you?" Raina asked, smiling at her.

"I'm great. I'm glad you made it alright."

"That flight is brutal. I won't lie. Flying from one end of the country to the other is insane, and I'm exhausted."

"Well you don't have to do anything but relax today. Need to get all of the rest you can before your big interview tomorrow." Lacey said with a smile.

"I have two interviews tomorrow, actually." Raina said.

"Two? What's the other one?"

"Another animal hospital. I didn't want to put all my cards on one place, in case the one I really want doesn't work out."

"You really like working with animals, huh?" Lacey asked her as she watched Raina grab her suitcase on the luggage belt.

"I really enjoy it. The one I really want is open 24 hours, like my old job was."

"Are they willing to give you a good reference at all?"

Raina nodded.

"I talked to Sandy, my old manager, and a couple of the veterinarians that work there, and they all were more than willing to give me a good reference."

"Well that's good then."

"Have you heard from Mike at all?" Raina asked when they got to Lacey's car.

"Not yet. He's not done fishing yet. How about you? Any news from Crosby?"

Raina shook her head.

"Hopefully they will be done soon." Lacey said. "Are you hungry?"

Raina nodded. The two girls headed to grab some Chinese take-out before heading to the house. When they got there, Lacey showed Raina where to put her things, and then the two girls sat on the couch with their food and watched a movie.

"What's wrong?" Lacey asked when she saw Raina set her food down after a couple bites into it.

"Not hungry anymore." Raina said, making a face.

"You said you really hadn't eaten all day." She said, confused.

"I know. It's just not settling well." She said, rubbing her stomach. "Which is strange, because I love Chinese food."

"You been feeling like this for awhile?" She asked, concerned.

"Yeah, for a few weeks actually. It's probably due to all the stress I've been under. I really need to move out of Kelly and Aaron's house soon, so I need to figure out what I'm going to do soon."

"I have a question. Do you feel more sick at certain times of the day, than other times?"

Raina shrugged her shoulders.

"Never really thought about it." She answered.

"Vomiting at all?"

Raina nodded, shrugging her shoulders.

"It'll go away. Maybe I have an ulcer or something."

"I have a test that you can do to tell you what you have or not." Lacey said, glancing over at Raina with a small smile.

"There is a test that will tell me what I have or not? Are you a psychic or something?" Raina laughed.

"Nah. Hold on, I think I have one here." She said, setting her food down and running out of the room. Raina watched the empty hallway she disappeared into, waiting for her to appear. When she did, Lacey tossed the small box to Raina, taking her seat back.

Raina glanced at the box, and immediately got sick to her stomach.

"A pregnancy test?" Raina said, looking over at her.

"Yup." She said, taking a bite of her food. "I didn't want to say anything at first, but after hearing you talk, it could be. Your belly is a little bigger than I remember. If it comes back negative, then I feel bad for saying that, because then that would mean I am an insensitive friend for calling you fat, but honestly, I have a strong feeling it won't come back negative."

Raina stared at the box, feeling numb.

"I can't be pregnant." Raina said, setting the pregnancy test down on the couch between the two of them.

"What? You can't honestly say that you and Crosby have never had sex."

Raina gave Lacey a look, trying to hold back her smile.

"So you can be pregnant. Just take the test."

Raina took a deep breath.

"I don't know."

"Just do it, because now I am dying to know."

Raina nodded, standing up.

"I'm only taking this to prove to you that I'm not pregnant." Raina said, smiling at Lacey.

"Fine, prove me wrong." She said with a smile.

Lacey sat, eating her food and watching the movie, waiting for Raina to come out of the bathroom. When she did, she glanced over at her, waiting for the answer.

"Just have to wait now." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "But I do want to ask, why did you have this, and why was there only one left in the two pack?"

Lacey smiled.

"I thought I was pregnant once, but I wasn't." She answered.

Raina nodded.

"Do you want to be pregnant?" Lacey asked her.

"It would make things difficult for me at this time." Raina answered honestly.

"When is it a great time to have kids?"

Raina shrugged her shoulders.

"I think you would be a great mom." Lacey said with a smile.

Raina made a face, glancing down at the blanket that covered her legs.

"You don't think you would be?" She asked.

Raina nodded, forcing a smile on her face, looking over at Lacey.

"Why do you look like you are going to cry?" She asked, immediately concerned.

She shook her head, wiping away the tears that were falling.

"I don't know why I am crying." She lied. "I don't even know if I am or not."

"How much longer do you have to wait?" She asked.

Raina glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It's ready now." She said. She had brought the test out wrapped in toilet paper, and she just stared at it.

"Just look. No matter how long you wait, it won't change the answer."

Raina nodded. She slowly unwrapped the pregnancy test, her hands shaking, and then looked at the results, and her heart immediately dropped.

"Well?" Lacey asked.

"I don't know why I didn't realize it before now." She said, shaking her head. Lacey took the test from her and saw that the test came out positive.

"How would you know? You've never been pregnant before. You don't know the signs."

Raina shook her head, laughing a little.

"I actually have been." Raina confessed.

Lacey didn't say anything to the comment.

"I had a little girl, but she died at a week of age." She said, looking over at Lacey.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." She said, her heart going out to her friend.

Raina shook her head.

"This pregnancy, so far, is very different from my last. I definitely could eat whatever I wanted last time and not get sick off of it."

Lacey smiled.

"What do you think Crosby is going to say?" Lacey asked her.

Raina shrugged her shoulders, not even thinking about the fact that she had to tell him now.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. I bet he'll be excited."

Raina nodded.

"I think I'm more worried about finding a job now. Who is going to hire me knowing that I am pregnant?"

"Just be honest with them. You just found out. I bet it'll be alright. Do you have insurance at least?"

"Yeah. I decided to keep it after I got laid off at my last job. I never like being without health insurance."

"Smart. That will definitely pay off in the long run."

Raina nodded.

"Don't stress over it. I have faith that everything will go smoothly. And even if you don't get the jobs, you can still move out here. That way, you are already here, and after the baby is born, you can jump right back into the job hunt."

Raina smiled, looking over at Lacey.

"You really want me to move out here, huh?" She asked.

Lacey smiled.

"Guilty as charged." She said.

Raina laughed.

The two girls finished watching the movie, and then Raina excused herself to get some sleep before she went to her interviews in the morning.

The next morning, Raina woke up and went to take a shower. When she stepped out of the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel, and then looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't get much sleep the night before, dreaming about the fact that she was pregnant. She could hardly believe the news herself, but all the signs were there, she just didn't pay attention to them.

Raina blow dried her hair, and then quickly changed into a pair of black dress pants, and put on her bra, and as she was putting on her white button-up shirt, she looked at her stomach, turning to the side, running her hand over it. She had gained a little weight in her waist, but not much.

"Are you almost ready?" Lacey asked from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Yeah." Raina said, finishing buttoning up her shirt. She quickly put on a little bit of make-up, and then brushed through her hair.

Raina was dropping Lacey off at her job before heading over to her first of two interviews. She was getting nervous at this point, and barely wanted to eat, but forced herself to eat a banana.

"You ready for the interview?" Lacey asked as the two of them headed towards Lacey's job.

"As ready as I can get." She said.

"You'll be fine. Just wow them with your personality and knowledge." Lacey joked with a smile.

Raina nodded.

After Raina dropped Lacey off, she headed down the street to where the first of two interviews was going to be at. It was the one she wanted the most of the two jobs she applied for, and was hoping for the best when she walked in.

The interview process was longer than she had anticipated, and they had her do a questionnaire to test her knowledge in the veterinary field.

"When would you be able to start?" The hospital manager, whose name was Laura, asked. "I see that you currently live in Florida."

"I could be moved here in a week." Raina answered.

Laura nodded.

"There is something that I feel I should tell you." Raina said, wanting to get her news out of the way before Laura made up her mind. She wanted to start off being honest with her, and not trying to hide something.

"What is that?"

"I found out last night that I am currently pregnant. It was not planned, and I had no clue that I was. I do not plan on taking a long maternity leave when I do have the baby if I get this job. I wanted to be honest with you. I didn't want you to hire me on false pretenses."

Laura stared at Raina.

"I appreciate you being honest with me." Laura said, nodding.

Raina nodded, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Well, I do like what I see and have heard here today." Laura said, nodding. "However, the final decision is not up to me. I do have to talk with the owners. We will definitely be in touch."

Raina nodded. She shook Laura's hand, and then left the hospital. She sat in the car, and took a deep breath. She hoped that the fact that she was pregnant didn't ruin her chances, but understood if they did.

She turned her phone back on, which was turned off for the interview, and saw that she had a voicemail. She listened to it, and a smile crossed her face at the sound of Crosby's voice.

"Straight to voicemail. Don't hear that often. Something important must be going on. Just call me when you get this. I am back from fishing."

Raina immediately dialed Crosby's number, and waited for him to answer excitedly.

"There you are. Why was your phone turned off?"

"I had something I had to do, and didn't want my phone on during it to distract me. How are you? I miss you." She said.

"I am doing well. Glad the trip is over, and ready to get home. How are you doing?"

"I am fine. Just job hunting right now." She said. "Just got done with an interview now."

"Really? How did that go?"

"I'm hoping well. I really hope that I get this one."

"Another animal hospital?" He asked.

"But of course, that's what I love to do."

"Well my fingers are crossed for you then." He said to her.

"When do you guys fly back to Seattle?" She asked, trying to not give away the fact that she was in Seattle herself. She was still trying to surprise him by being there.

"Mike should be here someplace, and we should hopefully be in Seattle sometime tomorrow." He answered. "Then, I will have to plan my trip down to Florida to see you."

She smiled, knowing at that moment he had no clue where she was.

"Have you found your own place yet, or still with Kelly and Aaron?"

"I'm still with them, but I am working on a new place."

"Maybe we can go house hunting when I'm down there or something. I hate to do this to you though, but I have some things I need to do so that I can get out of here and back home tomorrow. I just wanted to call to tell you that the trip was over."

"I'm glad you called. I miss you." She said.

"Miss you too. I will hopefully see you soon."

Raina hung up the phone, and immediately got excited for tomorrow. She started the car, and then headed to grab a bite to eat before heading to her other job interview that wasn't until 1:00.

The other job interview went better than she anticipated, and actually liked the small clinic. It was smaller than she was used too, and even offered more benefits than they had advertised online. When she was done, she headed back to Mike and Lacey's house to change, and started making dinner for both Lacey and herself for that evening. She wanted to get everything prepped, that way she could just throw it in the oven when they returned to the house for dinner, since prepping the Danish dish could take awhile.

"They are coming home tomorrow. I am so excited." Lacey said when Raina went to pick her up when she was done with work.

"I am too."

"From what Mike said, Crosby has no clue you are here. I guess he tried to get a flight to Florida from Seattle to fly out tomorrow, but Mike talked him into waiting until he arrived here tomorrow to book it."

Raina laughed.

"I did talk to him in between interviews, and he had no clue."

"It'll make tomorrow even better." She said with a smile. "How did the interviews go?"

"I think they both went really well. The second interview, I didn't know how I would think about it, since it was a small animal clinic, and not an emergency clinic like I am used too, but I really did enjoy it. It was a laid back atmosphere, and quieter than I am used too, but it looked really nice."

"I think you would be bored with it." Lacey said. "If you are used to an emergency clinic, I think you would definitely be bored with it."

Raina nodded, agreeing with her.

"What did they say about the pregnancy thing?"

"Both were happy that I told them up front, but neither of them said much more than that, just that they would get back to me. I will be happy if they call, but I kind of figure that it won't happen because of it."

Lacey nodded.

"I have high hopes." She said.

"I wish I was as optimistic as you." Raina joked.

"You will get one of them. Just you watch." She said with a grin.

Raina hoped she was right, because the more she was in Seattle, the more she wanted to live there. She was, however, very nervous, yet excited about the next day, for when Crosby got there. She just hoped that the news of the pregnancy didn't scare him off.

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There you have it! Please keep reviewing! And if you haven't reviewed, make it a first time. I want to know what you think as well! :)


	20. Chapter 20

Since you all have asked so nicely, I decided to go ahead and get the next chapter out sooner than planned. Plus, I don't know when I will be able to update again, since I have a crazy work schedule this week, and I will be going out of town to stay at a beach house this weekend. Thank you all again for the reviews.

Also, I am not one to write smut, but I decided to try it out this chapter. It isn't until the end, but consider yourself warned.

Hope you all enjoy! :) Please keep the reviews coming! Love to read them!

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Raina sat on the phone, waiting for her brother Ronnie to answer his phone, as she waited for Lacey to be ready to go to the airport to pick Mike and Crosby up.

"Well, well, well, speaking of the devil." Ronnie joked, answering the phone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, laughing.

"Jeremy and I were just talking about you."

"Good things I hope." She responded.

"Nothing but, little sis." He said.

"Can you three-way Jeremy. I want to tell you guys something."

"Uh oh, something is up. Last time we did a three-way phone call, it wasn't good news."

"This is good news. Just get him on the phone." She laughed.

She listened as Ronnie set his phone up to call Jeremy, and she waited for Jeremy to get on the phone.

"What's going on sis?" Jeremy asked.

"I have some big news to share, and I wanted you two to be the first to know." She said to them, getting nervous.

"You don't sound excited, so it can't be good news." Jeremy said.

"It's not bad news. It's just something I wasn't expecting."

"Well that kind of gave it away, didn't it?" Ronnie asked, laughing.

"What do you mean?"

"You would be more excited if it dealt with moving in with Crosby or something like that, so it can't be that. It must be that you are pregnant."

"You know, Jeremy, nobody likes it when you do that." She said, laughing. "You spoil all of my fun."

"So you are pregnant. I sure hope it's Crosby's, and not someone else you are hiding in the closet that we don't know about." Ronnie joked.

"Yes, it's his. Who do you think I am, a whore?"

Her brothers laughed at the comment.

"What did Crosby say? Are you two excited?" Ronnie asked.

"Crosby doesn't know yet. I just found out two nights ago myself. He has been fishing, and he gets back today."

"Aw, we know before the father. I feel honored." Jeremy joked.

"Shut-up. I trust you guys more than anyone I know. Of course I'm going to tell you. You just can't tell Mom and Dad yet. I want to be the one that breaks it to them." She said to them.

"Mom is gonna' freak out. You're pregnant again before marriage. Is that your thing?"

"Jeremy, shut-up."

"So, does that mean you are going to have a courthouse wedding again? It definitely is the cheaper way to go, but most chicks want the whole white dress and big wedding thing."

"You guys, Crosby and I have no plans on getting married. I'm not making any mistakes this time around."

"You already made the mistake. You got pregnant before getting married." Ronnie said.

"You really have no room to talk, bro." She answered, laughing.

"At least my wedding was planned before the pregnancy."

She sighed.

Just then, Lacey walked into the room, smiling at her.

"Alright guys, I have to go. I have to go to the airport now."

"Have fun! Good luck!" Ronnie yelled into the phone.

"I'm sure everything will go great, sis. Just let us know how it goes."

"Thanks. Will do. Talk to you guys later."

Raina hung up her phone, looking up at Lacey.

"Let me guess, your brothers?" She asked.

Raina nodded.

"At least you have family support, right?" She asked.

"Yeah. Now, let's go get the guys." She answered, standing up.

Lacey and Raina headed to the airport not long after to pick up Mike and Crosby. When they got there, they waited patiently for Mike and Crosby to walk out of the terminal. Raina was so excited, she could hardly stand still. She stood on her tip toes, looking above the crowd, looking for the familiar face she was looking for.

"Didn't he text you forever ago saying they landed?" Raina asked, looking around.

"Yeah, but there is a lot of people here. Maybe they are just stuck in line or something."

Raina kept looking for Crosby, and she then spotted the two guys heading this way. Mike was looking for Lacey and Raina, but Crosby wasn't even paying attention to the people around him.

"There they are." Raina said, smiling. They saw Mike wave in their direction, and Raina watched as Crosby look in their direction.

"Did he see you yet?" Lacey asked, smiling at Raina.

"Nope."

The two girls waited for the guys to come their way, and when they got closer, Crosby stopped in his tracks when he noticed Raina standing there.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, a smile on his face.

"Surprise." She said with a grin.

"I knew there was a reason why Mike wouldn't let me book my ticket yesterday." He said.

Raina laughed, giving him a hug. He kissed her, holding her close, not wanting to let her go.

"You definitely are a sight for sore eyes." He said, smiling at her.

"I try to be. I just didn't want to wait any longer to see you, so I had to be here for when you get back."

"When did you get in?"

"Two days ago." She answered.

"Wait, didn't you have a job interview yesterday?" He asked.

She smiled.

"We will talk about this later." She said to him. "You and I are having a night out in the town."

"We are?"

"Yeah. That way Mike and Lacey can be alone tonight as well."

"Sounds like the perfect plan to me."

The four of them headed out to the car after grabbing the guys' luggage, and then headed to the house. When they got there, Crosby quickly took a shower and changed, as did Raina, and the two of them headed out for the evening.

"Have fun tonight you two!" Mike yelled as he watched them leave the house.

"You too." Raina said, smiling.

"Good luck." Lacey said to Raina quietly as she handed her her keys.

Raina smiled at her, and then headed out to the car.

"So, where are we going?" He asked.

"To dinner. I saw this seafood restaurant near the water that I wanted to check out, and then we are staying at this hotel right next door as well."

"You had this all planned out, huh?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Of course. I knew I'd be in town, and didn't want to stay at the house knowing that Mike and Lacey would want time alone, so I booked the hotel. I wanted to take advantage of you this evening, and I figured I would have to buy you dinner to get that chance." She joked.

Crosby laughed at the comment.

"So, me taking advantage of you is out of the question, huh?"

"Yup. I'm already working on it." She said, smiling at him.

She pulled up to the restaurant and the two of them headed inside. They got a table that was located on the deck, and both ordered themselves something to drink.

"So, gonna' tell me about this job interview here in Seattle?" He asked.

"Has that been on your mind since the airport?" She asked him with a smile.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I am considering moving up here." She said, taking a sip of her water.

"Lacey has gotten to you, hasn't she?" He asked, smiling.

She smiled.

"I have tried getting jobs down in Florida, and there is nothing for me besides the Oyster Shack. I want out. I want something different. I have that opportunity here."

He nodded.

"You know that just means that it will give Mike more ammunition at me to get me to move to Seattle."

She nodded, smiling at him.

"I will have to admit, you living out here does give me a good reason to come out here."

"See, his plan is working."

He laughed.

"So, you think you got the job?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Just have to wait and see, I guess."

"We will have to go and find you a place before we both have to leave."

"Sounds like a plan to me." She said with a smile. "When do you have to be in Vermont?"

"My sister's birthday party is this weekend, so I have to leave in a few days." He responded. "When do you have to be back?"

"The Oyster Shack is just waiting for a phone call weather I am coming back or not. I'm not expected back there at any time."

He nodded.

"You should come with me"

She smiled.

"Finally my time to meet the family, eh?" She asked. She got sick to her stomach at the thought of it, but didn't want to tell Crosby that.

"I did meet yours." He said with a smile.

"Then count me in." She agreed.

"Why aren't you drinking, by the way?" He asked, as he watched her take a drink of her water.

"I wanted to get you all liquored up so I can take advantage of you, remember? I need to be on my A game."

He shook his head, laughing.

"My plan must be working, since you forgot my intentions so easily."

"Just trying to make things easy for you." He said, giving her a wink.

The two of them finished their dinner, and then decided to head over to the hotel. When they got inside, Crosby immediately collapsed on the bed, exhausted.

"So, what's been going on with you? You are awfully quiet tonight." He said, watching her.

"I'm not quiet. You just are talking a lot." She answered, smiling at him. She climbed onto the bed, then straddled him, leaning down to kiss him. His hands immediately went to her hips to hold her there.

"I have missed you so much." He said to her softly.

"I've missed you too." She responded. He slowly removed her shirt, revealing her black lace bra, then ran his fingers along the edge of her bra line gently, goose bumps forming at the touch. He quickly unlatched her bra, and then slid it off, tossing it to the side. He quickly flipped her onto her back, then she helped him take his own shirt off, and he laid down on top of her, his hands cupping her breasts, gently tugging at her nipples. She arched her back, enjoying the feeling.

They quickly tore the rest of each others' clothes off. Once Crosby removed her jeans, he spread her legs, kissing the inner parts of her thighs, before planting a kiss in the middle. He slowly made his way up her bare stomach, making sure to give equal attention to each of her breasts, before making his way to her lips, kissing her deeply as he entered her slowly. She wrapped her legs around him as he did so, moaning deeply, as he slowly made his way in and out of her. As the two of them came close to finishing, Raina quickly rolled Crosby onto his back so she was on top, and started to grind into him. Raina collapsed on his chest as the two of them came, both trying to catch their breath. Raina slowly climbed off of him, laying down next to him as they pulled the blanket over them, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Crosby gently kissed her, running his fingers through her hair. The two of them fell asleep shortly after.

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There you have it. Please let me know what you think! :)


	21. Chapter 21

Had time to update today. Was supposed to be at a beach house, but I unexpectantly got sick and went to the hospital. i'm alright, just waiting on test results. Just means more time to write. hehe. Thank you all for the reviews! They have kept my spirits up this week. Keep them coming! :)

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Raina woke up the next morning, and looked at Crosby, who was still asleep. She smiled to herself, pulling the covers around her tighter as she snuggled up against him. She felt his hand travel along her waist as he stretched in place.

"Good morning." She said to him.

"Yes, it definitely is." He said with a smile, giving her a gentle kiss. "I say we stay in bed like this all day."

She smiled at the comment.

"We can order room service." He suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me." She said.

Crosby grabbed the room service menu that was on the counter and the two of them browsed through it, deciding on what to get. As Raina looked through the menu, nothing sounded good, and she felt herself getting sick again. She then made a face, remembering what she had to tell Crosby.

"What's wrong?" He asked when he saw Raina's face.

"Just not feeling well." She said, rubbing her stomach.

"You haven't been feeling well for awhile now." He said, getting concerned.

She nodded.

"Should I take you to the doctor?" He asked.

She made a face, knowing that at some point, she would have to go there, but she would go in knowing what is wrong with her.

"What's that face for?" He asked.

She sighed.

"I need to talk to you about something." She said, getting nervous.

"Okay…" He said, wearily.

"I don't want to say it, in fears of ruining the perfect time we are having."

"Unless you are about to tell me that you cheated on me, then you have nothing to worry about." He jokingly said, smiling at her.

"No, didn't cheat on you." She said with a smile. She sat up in the bed, the blanket wrapped around her, and she faced him.

"I found something out the other night that I was shocked to find out."

"Just spit it out." He said with a smile.

She sighed, knowing he was right.

"I'm pregnant." She said, making a face. She had her eyes closed, not wanting to see his reaction. After a long silence, she opened her eye a little to look at him, and he looked stunned, as if he was trying to absorb the news she had just told him.

"Crosby?" She asked, looking at him.

"Wait, how?" He asked, shaking his head.

"Umm, did your parents not talk to you about the birds and the bees?" She joked with a smirk.

"Funny." He said. "We've always been so careful though."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Things happen." She said.

"How do you know?"

"Lacey had me take a pregnancy test a few nights ago." She explained. "I had no clue I was. I just thought I had a stress ulcer or something, but she knew better."

Raina watched as he ran his hands through his hair. She bit her lower lip, not having a good feeling about where everything was going at that point.

"I'm sorry. I know this is not the way things are supposed to go." She said, watching him.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked, looking at her. "It's not like you planned this."

"Nope, definitely didn't plan it." She said, putting her hand on the sheet above her stomach. Crosby, watching her, slowly moved her hand, and then brought the sheet down, exposing her naked stomach. He then gently put his hand over her belly. She watched him as he stared at her stomach.

"I want to be with you for the doctors' appointment." He said.

"I haven't made one yet." She said to him.

"Well, whenever it is." He said, looking up at her.

She nodded.

"Lacey gave me a number to her gynecologist, who is an OBGYN as well. I could call now to see when I can get in."

He nodded, standing up.

"While you call, I'm going to take a shower."

She watched him go into the bathroom, and she sighed, reaching for her purse. She grabbed the number Lacey had given her, and she dialed it quickly.

"We actually had a cancellation this afternoon if you can do that." The receptionist said to her after Raina explained what was going on.

"That would be perfect. What time?"

"3:30," She answered.

Raina agreed to be there at that time, and then hung up the phone. She waited until Crosby came out of the shower, and then headed into the bathroom to take a shower herself. As she was walking inside, Crosby grabbed her and brought her in for a kiss.

"What was that for?" She asked.

"I realized in there that I really didn't tell you that I am here for you for this. I'm not going anywhere, no matter what happens." He said.

She smiled at him.

"Thank you." She responded.

Raina quickly took a shower, and then got dressed. When she was done, she walked out to where Crosby was sitting, watching TV.

"So, did you get an appointment anytime soon?" He asked.

"I was lucky enough to get an appointment this afternoon. They had a cancellation."

"Perfect." He said, smiling at her. "Did you still want to get room service?"

She shook her head, making a face.

"Me either." He confessed.

The two of them collected their things, and then headed back to Lacey and Mike's house.

"How'd it go?" Lacey asked Raina quietly when they arrived.

"I have an appointment later this afternoon, and Crosby is gonna' be there." She answered.

"Good. I would have kicked his ass if he wasn't going to go with."

Raina smiled in appreciation.

Through the day, Crosby looked anxious, but wouldn't talk about why. Mike was the only one who didn't know what was going on, but didn't seem to notice. Raina didn't want to tell him just yet, until after she spoke with the doctor.

Before they knew it, it was time to head over to the appointment. Raina and Crosby crawled into Lacey's car and headed towards the doctors' office.

"You nervous?" Crosby asked her.

She nodded, watching the road.

"It'll be okay." He said, as if he was trying to convince himself more than Raina.

Raina pulled up to the doctors' office and the two of them walked inside. She signed in, and then waited for their name to be called. They both were silent, both lost in their own thoughts, keeping to themselves. Before they knew it, Raina was called into the room, and the two of them followed the nurse back.

"Just change into the gown, and the doctor will be in in a few moments." She said.

Raina nodded, watching the nurse leave. Raina sighed, as she handed her purse over to Crosby. She then quickly changed and then sat down on the exam table, looking around the room.

"What's going to happen now?" Raina asked Crosby while they waited for the doctor. It had been on her mind all day, and she finally had to ask him.

"I don't know." He answered, looking at the many pictures on the walls.

She nodded, looking down at her hands.

Just then, Raina watched as the doctor walk into the room. She smiled in greeting as she shook hands with him.

"My name is Dr. D'Angelo." He said, introducing himself to Raina and Crosby.

"Nice to meet you." Raina said. "I'm Raina, and this is Crosby."

"Very nice to meet you both. So , by the sounds of it, you think you are pregnant?" He asked.

Raina nodded.

The doctor asked the standard questions, about previous pregnancies, her last menstrual period, and any other illnesses in the family that he needed to know about. After answering the questions, he smiled at her.

"Want to see the baby?" He asked, instructing Raina to lay down on her back.

Raina nodded, trying to get comfortable, but was unsuccessful.

The doctor got the ultrasound out and applied gel to her stomach. He then turned it on, putting the probe up to her stomach. After a few moments, Raina started to hear a heartbeat, and she felt Crosby take her hand in his.

"There's your baby." He said, smiling at them.

Raina and Crosby both looked at the screen, both at a loss of words.

"The heartbeat sounds strong, and you look about 8 weeks along." He continued. "Everything looks very good."

"When is the baby due?" Crosby asked.

"About mid March." He answered.

Raina turned to him.

"You're still on the boat, aren't you?" She asked him.

Crosby didn't answer her, just kissed the back of her hand.

"Here is a picture of the baby." Dr. D'Angelo said, handing them a picture of the ultrasound. He went over proper nutrition and what she needed to look for during the pregnancy, and Raina just nodded to everything, already have gone through this.

"I forgot you have done all of this before." Crosby said to her softly.

"Every pregnancy is different. If you want, you can bring your child in to these visits, to help prepare them for the birth of the child."

"My other child died at a week old." Raina said, cutting him off from going any further.

"I'm so sorry." He said. "You will want to let your normal doctor know this when you go back home that you have already done the first visit here. Just give them our number, and we will fax them all of the records."

"There is no need. We are in the process of moving out here." Crosby said, smiling at the doctor.

Raina looked over at him, and felt herself start to tear up at what he said, but she fought the tears, sitting up after the doctor wiped the gel off of her stomach.

"Well, then, I will want to see you back in a month." He said. "The nurse will be in with information that I want you guys to read over before our next visit."

Raina and Crosby thanked the doctor, and after he left, Raina quickly changed into her normal outfit. The two of them sat in silence as they waited for the nurse, who arrived with a handful of materials.

"Here you go. There is a brochure in here on books that are highly recommended on getting. They are very informative on what to expect and things like that." She said.

"Thank you." Raina said, taking the information from her. The two of them left the office at that point. When they got in the car, Raina leaned over and kissed Crosby, and then smiled at him.

"I'm still trying to absorb all of this in." He confessed. "It's a lot to take in in one day."

"I know, and you are being great." She said.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a dad." He said, staring at the ultrasound.

"It'll get more exciting as time goes on." She told him, starting the car.

"To be honest, I'm pretty excited now."

After hearing his words, Raina felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

"So, you're moving out here?" She asked, smiling at him.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. Might as well just do it now with you." He confessed.

"Who said I wanted to live with you." She joked.

"Too bad." He laughed. "I have been actually trying to find the best way to ask you to move in with me for awhile now. Looks as if this was my way of doing it."

She laughed.

"So is that a yes, then?" He asked, watching her.

She nodded, smiling at him.

"Alright, so both of us got what we wanted to say out today. I feel better." He joked.

They pulled up to Lacey and Mike's house, and made their way inside.

"Now, where did you two go?" Mike asked when they walked in the door.

Raina glanced over at Crosby, who just smiled at her. He then pulled the picture out of his pocket and set it on the table next to Mike.

"Oh hell no." He said, picking up the picture and looking at it. "How long have you been keeping this from us?"

"From you, hun." Lacey said, smiling at him.

"Wait, I'm the only one that didn't know this? What is wrong with this picture?" He asked, looking at everyone in the room.

"I didn't even know until three days ago." Raina confessed. "Lacey talked me into taking the pregnancy test, and I didn't want to say anything until he knew, and after I saw the doctor."

"What did the doctor say?" Lacey asked.

"Everything is looking good so far. I'm about 8 weeks pregnant, and due about mid march."

Mike and Lacey were quiet, looking at each other.

"And by the silence, you guys are probably thinking the same thing Raina was thinking when the doctor said that." Crosby said.

"Which you never answered me." Raina added.

"I don't know if I will still be on the boat. I guess I will have to just worry about that when I get to that point."

Raina was quiet after the answer. The fact that he may not be there for the birth upset her, but she tried to not show it.

"So, let me guess. You aren't moving here anymore." Mike said, giving Raina a look, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"What makes you think that?" Raina asked.

"You're going to move to Vermont now, so you can be near Crosby, right?" He asked.

"Actually, we are both moving out here." Crosby said.

Mike smiled.

"It's about damn time you listen to me and move out here!" He said, laughing.

"We're going to go looking for a place tomorrow." Raina said.

"Well congratulations, you two." Lacey said, giving them both a hug.

"Yes, I agree. Very happy for you two, if you are happy." Mike said.

"It took me most of the day, but yes, I am very excited." Crosby said. "Now, to tell the family."

Raina's smile left her face at that moment.

"It'll be okay. They are much more understanding than your mom will be." Crosby joked.

"I still have to tell my parents. Oh God." Raina said, putting her head down on the table.

"You'll survive." He said, rubbing her neck a little.

Mike and Lacey took Raina and Crosby out for dinner that evening to celebrate, and Raina felt herself relaxing into the thought of having another baby. She felt as if she was getting a second chance at being a mother, and found herself getting excited for it.

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There you have it. Please review! It will make my weekend perfect! :)


	22. Chapter 22

Another day, another update. Glad you all are enjoyin this story so much. I am having fun writing it. Please keep the reviews coming! LOVE to read them. :)

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"It's going to be alright." Crosby said as the two of them drove towards his parents' house. They had arrived in Vermont the night before and stayed at Crosby's place. He had wanted to see his family, but with Raina as nervous as she was, and with how late they got in, he agreed to wait until the next day.

"What if they don't like me? What will they say about the pregnancy?"

"You let me worry about that. Honestly, I think that everything will be okay. They are nothing like your parents."

"My dad is normal. My mom, however, is not."

He smiled at her, turning onto a side street.

"What's your sister like?" Raina asked him.

"She is quiet. Very shy."

"So, the opposite of me?"

"Exactly." He laughed.

"However, I may be more like her than me today when I meet the family. I am sick to my stomach right now."

"I promise it will be fine."

Crosby pulled up to a cute two story house and parked his car. Raina looked at the house from her seat, taking a deep breath.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Would we leave if I said I wasn't?" She asked with a smirk.

"Not a chance. Come on."

Raina got out of the car and followed Crosby up to the porch and watched as he knocked on the door. He smiled at her, grabbing her hand, as he watched her nervously watch him. She didn't think she would be as nervous as she was if she wasn't pregnant on top of everything. She was more nervous about telling his parents than her own. She didn't really care what her mother thought about the news, but she cared about what his parents said.

"Hey, you're here." A lady said, smiling, as she answered the door.

"Hey, Mom." Crosby said, giving her a hug.

"It's so good to see you. And you must be Raina." She said, giving her a hug. "I'm Vivian, but you can call me Viv."

"It's so nice to finally meet you." Raina said, hugging her back.

"Come in. I have lunch ready outside."

Crosby smiled at Raina, taking her hand in his and leading her inside. They walked through the house and went straight out to the back deck where she saw a couple people sitting around on the patio furniture.

"Hey, you're here." A lady around Raina and Crosby's age said, walking up to Crosby to give him a hug.

"Hey, happy birthday." He said, giving his sister a hug.

"Thank you." She said, smiling at him.

"Trish, this is Raina."

Trish smiled in acknowledgement.

"It's about time you brought this young lady home with you."

Raina turned to see Crosby hug his dad, and she smiled.

"Raina, this is my dad, George." Crosby introduced.

"It's nice to finally meet you." He said to her, smiling.

After introductions, they sat down on the patio furniture.

"Where's the rest of the family?" Crosby asked.

"They will be over later. We didn't want you to be overwhelmed your first time meeting us." Vivian said, handing Raina a glass of lemonade.

"The complete opposite from when I met your family." Crosby joked, elbowing her.

"Yeah, hard to not have a big introduction in my family." Raina said, taking a sip.

"Raina's family is much different from ours." Crosby said.

"How so?" George asked.

"Well, I have thirteen aunts and uncles." She said.

"Wow. Definitely different from our family." Trisha said.

"How many aunts and uncles do you have?" Raina asked, making conversation.

"Dad is an only child. Mom has one brother."

Raina's mouth dropped open.

"You never told me that." She said to Crosby.

"Now you see why I was so intrigued by your family."

Raina nodded, taking a bite of the turkey sandwich she had in her hand.

"Tell us about yourself. You have always been this mystery girl to us that has captivated our son for so long." Vivian said with a smile. Raina looked over at her, and she immediately felt a sense of comfort. "Do you still live in Florida?"

"Yeah, but looking to move out to Seattle." She answered. She never heard back from the two job interviews, which didn't surprise her at all since she told them she was pregnant.

"So that's why Crosby has been talking about moving out there." George said, giving her a wink.

"You know about his crazy schedule, and how he isn't home a lot?"

"Yeah, I do." She said, smiling at Vivian.

"Of course she does, mom. The two of them have been talking for awhile." Trisha said quietly.

Vivian nodded, remembering how long the two have known each other.

The five of them talked awhile longer before Vivian started to clean up. Raina stood up as well, offering to help. The two of them walked inside and Raina set the dishes in the sink.

"So, you and Crosby look very happy together." Vivian said to Raina, smiling at her.

"I care about him very much." Raina said, smiling back at her.

Vivian walked over to Raina and took her hands in hers.

"You are absolutely glowing." She said to her softly, looking at her. "You two will make great parents."

Raina's smile left her face at the comment.

"How did you…" She started to say.

"Mother's can tell these things." She said, smiling at her. "I've been watching you since you have been here."

Raina didn't say a word, just watched her.

"It's okay. Relax. You are acting like it is the worst news in the world." Viv said, smiling at her.

"It is all just a big surprise."

"How long have you known?" She asked.

"About a week." She answered.

Vivian nodded.

"I am thrilled with the news, just saddened by one thing." She said, looking at Raina.

"What is that?" She asked nervously.

"Knowing that you guys are going to be living on the other side of the country." Viv said with a smile. "I won't be able to spoil my grandchild as easily."

Raina smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. Vivian gave her a hug.

"Come on, let's get back outside."

"Now, we weren't planning on telling you guys until tomorrow. We didn't want to ruin Trish's birthday today." Raina said, stopping Vivian.

"It's our secret." Viv said, smiling.

The two of them walked outside and Raina took her seat back next to Crosby. He looked at her with a questioned look, but Raina just gave him a reassuring smile. He leaned over and kissed her gently, smiling at her.

Awhile later, Crosby's aunt, uncle, and cousin came over for the family dinner that Vivian was preparing for Trish's birthday. She was going out with her friends after the dinner, but according to Crosby, it was a tradition in his family for everyone to get together for a birthday dinner, one he didn't get to attend too all of the time since he was fishing so much. Raina found herself enjoying her time with his family. They made her feel as if she was a part of the family immediately, and she didn't feel out of place at all. It wasn't crazy busy all the time, like it was whenever she was with her family. She even felt herself wishing she had the same relationship with her mother that Trish and Crosby had with theirs.

"So, what do you think?" Crosby asked as the two of them headed towards his place.

"I love your family." Raina answered, smiling at him.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about." He said, taking his hand in hers.

"Your mom knows." She said to him, watching him.

"Knows what?" He asked.

"She figured out I'm pregnant."

He glanced at her.

"How'd she do that?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"What did she say?"

"She said she's excited to be a grandma."

He laughed.

"Sounds like her."

"I wish my family was more like yours." Raina confessed. "I like the small family thing. So much nicer than the large family."

"You're family will always be there for you, no matter what."

"Too much chaos." Raina said, smiling.

"Which means never a dull moment."

She nodded in agreement.

"When do you plan on telling your mom?" He asked, as he pulled up to his apartment.

"I head there in two days, while I'm on my way back to Florida." She said.

"Do you want me to be there for you?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"I don't want you in the crossfire." She explained. "It is definitely not going to be pretty."

"Is she really going to be that upset with the news?"

Raina gave him a look as he opened his door.

"Think of the worst reaction she could have. Okay, now times that by ten." She said to him.

He laughed.

"It can't be that bad." He said, walking inside his apartment, setting his keys on the table.

"Yeah, okay." She said, laughing. "So, when is your lease up in this place?"

"Next month." He answered. "When did you plan on moving out to Seattle?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"The summer is almost over, which means that people are going to be at the restaurant in full force before the cold hits." She said.

"Well, I leave for King Crab season in three weeks." He said. "If you want me to help you move, then we will need to do it before then."

She nodded.

"I want to save up a little more money before moving, so maybe move in two weeks?" She asked.

"Sounds good to me." He answered. "Maybe we can go looking at houses again before I leave."

She sighed, agreeing with him.

"Why are you looking so sad?" He asked, concerned.

"Just going to miss you." She confessed.

He walked up to her and kissed her, running his hands through her hair.

"We will be together soon enough." He said to her softly.

She nodded, smiling at him.

"Come on, it's late. Let's go to bed."

She agreed, and the two of them headed in to go to sleep.

Two days later, Raina was heading to Iowa to see her family to break the news of what was going on in her life. She headed over to Jeremy and Rachel's house first, in hopes that they would help give her the encouragement to tell her mother the big news.

"Holy shit, you're huge!" Jeremy said when he saw his sister, then smiled as he gave her a hug.

"I hate you." She said, laughing. "I only have a small belly. Wait to see me in a few months."

"I am so happy for you." Rachel said, giving Raina a hug.

"Thanks. So far, everyone is excited for me, but we all know that is about to change."  
"Screw what she thinks." Jeremy said. "As long as you are happy, who gives a damn?"

"You know I really don't care, but I still have to do this."

"I have faith that everything will be fine." Jeremy said, sitting down. "Or at least it is over fast for you."

Raina stuck her tongue out at her brother, and then she heard the front door open.

"Why is it that whenever you are in town, you don't come to see me first?" Ronnie asked, walking into the room.

"I thought you were working." Raina said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I am working, just running errands. I see a car I don't know here, and know exactly who it is, so I had to stop."

"Well then next time, I will come straight over to the farm and find you." She sarcastically said to him.

"You do that." He said, smiling. He then knelt down in front of her and put his hand on her stomach.

"How far along are you?" He asked.

"About ten weeks now." She answered. "I'm due mid March."

"Is Crosby excited?" Rachel asked.

Raina nodded.

"Me and him are both moving to Seattle." Raina announced to them.

"Why won't you move back here? You will need help raising that kid when Crosby's fishing. You will wish we are around." Ronnie said.

"I will go crazy here. Never moving back here guys."

"Well, I am headed over to the farm. You going to be right behind?" Ronnie asked.

"Yup." Raina answered.

"Good luck." Rachel said, giving Raina a hug.

"Thanks. I will see you guys afterwards, because I know I will be run out of there."

"You will." Jeremy joked.

Raina got into her rental car and then drove towards her parents house. When she arrived, she parked the car, but sat there, getting the nerves to get out. She was lost in thought when she heard a knock on her window. She smiled when she saw her dad, and then climbed out of the car.

"How's my princess?" Neil asked, giving his daughter a hug.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good now. I didn't know you were coming to town."

"It was a last minute choice. Do you have a moment? I want to talk to you and mom." She said.

"Everything alright?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah, just have to talk to you two."

"So in reality, you want me there to help calm your mother." He said with a smile.

She nodded.

Neil put his arm around his daughters shoulders as the two of them headed inside. When she got there, she saw her mom vacuuming the living room, and was startled to see Raina walk in with Neil.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Came to see you." She said.

"Yeah right." She stated, turning the vacuum off. "You never want to come see me."

Raina couldn't help but agree.

"Come, sit." She said, motioning for Raina to take a seat. "It must be something big to bring you all the way here. You never come and visit unannounced."

"I do have some news for you." She said. She felt sick to her stomach at that point. "I am moving again."

"Whoa, you decided to tell us about this move? What's the special occasion?" Cathrine sarcastically responded.

"Mom, can we please have a serious conversation right now?" Raina asked.

"Fine. Sorry." She answered, putting her hands up in surrender.

"How come you are movin?" Neil said, encouraging the conversation to continue.

"Crosby and I are moving in together." She said with a smile.

"So you two are back together?" Cathrine asked.

Raina nodded.

"Good. He is a nice boy." She said.

Raina nodded in agreement. She was happy the conversation was going well so far, but knew that it was about to get very bad.

"I can tell there is more. You would have called if it was just that information." Cathrine said, probing for the real truth for her daughters unannounced visit.

"There is more." She went on. "I found out that I'm pregnant."

"You're WHAT?" Cathrine yelled, standing to her feet.

"Whoa, didn't see that one coming." Neil stated.

"Do you ever do things right for a change?" Cathrine spat, throwing a pillow across the room onto a chair.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Raina asked, getting angry.

"You are supposed to get married before having kids. I know we have had this conversation many times before, Raina. Do you not know how to keep it in your pants?"

Raina couldn't help but laugh at the comment.

"I do NOT see what is so funny about what I said."

"Didn't you have Jeremy before you two were married? Also, Ronnie is having a kid, who was conceived before their wedding. You are such a hypocrite."

"When's the wedding?" Cathrine asked, crossing her arms.

"What wedding?"

"You two will be married." She stated.

"Mom, we have no plans on getting married at this time."

"And why not? He thinks he can knock you up, and then not man up to his responsibilities?"

"Mom, we are moving in together. He is planning on being there to help me raise the kid. Why would you think he is not taking on this responsibility?"

"He needs to marry you. It's only right."

"Mom, I am not making that mistake again. I am doing this right this time. I will not marry him just because I am pregnant. Never would we be thinking about getting married right now if I wasn't pregnant. I want to get married because I am in love, not because I am pregnant. I think that was the main reason my last marriage failed."

"You are now telling me that you were not in love with Troy?"

"No, I am telling you that him and I would never have gotten married if I never got pregnant. I am not letting the same thing happen to Crosby and I. I care about Crosby more than I cared about Troy."

"You are making a big mistake. You need to terminate the pregnancy then." She demanded.

"Hell no! How dare you even suggest that. Just because I am not marrying Crosby? We haven't even told each other that we love each other. Why in the hell would we jump into a marriage?"

"You are having a kid with someone you don't even love! Do you not see the things wrong with that remark?"

"Things happen, mother. Don't you see, it's like God is giving me a second chance at being a mother. I will be a great mother. I know that I will be a hell of a lot better of a mother than you ever were."

Cathrine was silent, and Raina could see that she was fuming by her comment.

"It's a sin what you are doing." She spat, glaring at her daughter. "I will not be a part of this."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Raina said, standing up. "I hope you change your mind, because I would love for you to be there with me for the delivery, especially if Crosby can't make it."

Raina walked out of the house at that point, and Neil ran to catch up with her.

"You know your mother. She just takes more time to come around with information like this." He said to her.

"She pretty much just told me that I was no longer in her life. That's a great thing to hear from my own mother."

"She will come around. I know she will. I will talk to her." He said.

She nodded.

"I love you dad." She said, giving him a hug.

"Love you too. I will see you soon."

Raina got in the car and headed over to Jeremy and Rachel's house. When she walked in, Rachel immediately saw Raina crying, and ran over and gave her a hug.

"What did she say?" Jeremy asked.

"I am no longer a part of her life." She said, wiping her face. "Which is fine. I don't need that in my life."

"I'm sorry sis." He said, giving her a hug.

"Well, at least I came here and am not leaving disappointed." She said, sighing.

"Why do you say that?" Rachel asked.

"I came here knowing she was going to be pissed. I guess I was right."

Raina left the room to find Savannah, who was in her room playing with her toys. She smiled at the sight of her aunt, squealing with delight. The sight of her niece helped her spirits lift, and she tried her best to forget about the days events.

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There you have it. Keep on reviewing! :)


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you so so much for the reviews! I absolutely LOVE them!

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"Do you really want to bring your bed?" Crosby asked as the two of them started to tear it apart.

"Yes. I love my bed, and I know we will just use your bed when we find a place, however, I do want to have a guest bedroom at some point, and this bed will be perfect. Plus, when you are in the dog house, don't you want a bed to sleep in, and not the couch?" She asked with a smirk.

"You've got jokes. I see how it is." He said, laughing at her. "Aaron, will you help me carry this out to the truck?"

Aaron helped Crosby lift the large bed frame out of the room and towards the truck that was parked in the driveway. She wanted to help lift things, but Crosby was fully against it. She was officially twelve weeks pregnant at that point, and he wanted to make her do the least amount of work as possible when he was around. She kept telling him that she wasn't disabled because she was pregnant, but he didn't care. She knew he was feeling bad about not being there throughout the pregnancy, and that it was his way of helping her. She was definitely starting to show at that point, and her and Crosby had an appointment with the doctor at the end of the week right before he was to leave for King Crab season, to get an update on the baby's progress.

"I am really going to miss you." Kelly said, helping Raina pack some of her clothes in the many boxes in the room.

"I will miss you too. I will come back to visit. I promise."

"I better get pictures of the baby when you have it." She said. "You have my address."

"Me too." Heather stated. She was there helping pack up Raina's things as well.

"I will definitely do that." Raina said, smiling at her.

Raina watched as Crosby and Aaron come back in the room and take the large mattress out of the room.

"Have you guys found a place to live yet?" Heather asked.

"No. We have a time set up later this week to meet with our realtor to go looking at houses again. The houses we saw before were nice, but neither one of us fell in love. I don't want to settle."

"I don't blame you."

"I don't know if Crosby wants to find a place though, since he won't be around. I think he likes the idea of me being at Lacey's house, so I'm not alone."

"I don't blame him. When you get close to having the baby, it'll be hard to do a lot of things."

"I know, and he won't be around to help."

"Are you prepared to be with someone who is gone so much?" Kelly asked, concerned for her friend.

Raina looked at her two friends that were in her room, leaning against the wall.

"Honestly, yes. He is worth the sacrifice." She finally answered after a long silence. "It'll be hard, but we will make it work."

"What's next?" Crosby asked, walking into the room with Aaron.

"You better be glad that you are a nice guy." Kelly said, going back to packing her things.

"What did I do?" He asked, looking at the three girls.

Raina smiled, giving him a quick kiss.

"My dresser is next." She said, pointing to the now empty dresser.

"I'm running out of room in the truck, gorgeous." He said with a smile.

"We'll figure it out."

The guys lifted the dresser and walked out of the room.

"So, why didn't Crosby bring his car down?" Kelly asked, looking out the window to where the guys were walking the dresser into the truck.

"He left his car at his parents. When he gets back after this next season, me and him are flying to Vermont to drive it back. We couldn't drive the truck, his car, and my car all at the same time, and since he won't be needing his car the next few weeks, we decided to tow my car first." Crosby had driven the moving truck down from Vermont, against Raina's wishes, with his things already packed and ready for the trip to Seattle. She didn't want him to do the trip alone, but he insisted.

"Do you guys have to leave as soon as the room is packed?" Heather asked, making a face.

"Yeah. We have a long trip ahead of us, and appointments we have to get too at the end of the week. We can't afford to waste time."

"This sucks. I knew you were going to leave me." Kelly said, throwing clothes in the box.

"Then this shouldn't have been a surprise to you." Raina joked, closing the box she finished packing. "You guys should honestly all save up to come visit me up in Seattle. It is gorgeous up there. I really think you would enjoy it."

"Maybe we will plan that." Heather said, liking the idea of the vacation.

They all quickly finished packing up the last of the things in the room, leaving it bare. Once everything was on the truck, Crosby closed it up, and then got the trailer ready to get Raina's car on it.

"This trailer better work." Raina said, watching as Crosby worked on setting it up.

"It will. I've done it many times before." He said, laughing. "Your precious baby will be fine."

"It better. It will have my other precious baby inside of it." She had the car inside set up for Honey to have free range in it during the long trip. She had planned on redoing the inside anyway, and decided to wait until after the move, in case Honey decided on ruining the interior during the trip.

Once the car was on the trailer, and the trailer was hooked up to the truck, Raina went to catch Honey and put her in the car.

"You ready?" Crosby asked.

Raina nodded, then turned to her friends. She quickly said her teary good-byes to them, and then climbed into the truck with Crosby.

The drive was expecting to take them three days, with minimal breaks. They were planning on driving straight through with only bathroom and meal breaks. They wanted to get to Seattle so there was time to get all of their things into storage before Crosby was to leave. He was used to staying up for long periods of time. Raina, however, was exhausted just thinking about it.

"Are you excited?" He asked, glancing over at her.

"More nervous than anything." She answered. "I will miss my friends down here, that's for sure."

"You will meet new friends." He said.

Raina nodded.

"Oh, I didn't tell you. I got a phone call from one of the jobs that I interviewed for."

"Did you? Which one?"

"The emergency hospital. The one I wanted."

"What did they say?"

"They want to hire me for a temp position. Two months only. One of their receptionists is leaving on her own maternity leave, and they are offering me the job of filling in. They liked what they saw on my resume, and they liked me on my interview, but don't want to hire me full time because of my pregnancy. However, she said that if everything goes well during the temp position, then when I am ready to work after the baby is born, then I can reapply and if they have an opening, they will hire me at that time."

"That is great news." Crosby said, smiling at her.

"I start in a couple weeks. That's when the girl, Emily, goes on maternity leave."

"See, everything works out in the end." He said, grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it.

"I'm just glad that I will be making some kind of money when I get there. At least I have that going for me."

"Any word from your mom yet?" He asked her.

Raina shook her head.

"She won't return my phone calls. Dad, Ronnie, and Jeremy all say that she won't even listen to what they have to say. If my name is brought up, she leaves the room."

"I'm sorry." He said, glancing over at her.

"Me too." She said, smiling at her. "However, your mom has been great. Did you see the present she sent me?"

"What present?" He asked.

Raina laughed, reaching for her bag that was in the front of the truck with them. She reached in and grabbed a small baby onesie that said "my daddy is a crab fisherman".

"Where did she get that?" He asked, laughing.

"I'm guessing somewhere that the Wizard merchandise can be bought." She said, turning it around to see the Wizard logo on it.

"That is hilarious." He said, shaking his head.

"I think it's cute that your mom is so excited. She makes me feel included in your family."

"Hey, you are included in our family now. We may not be married, but that doesn't mean you aren't a part of my family."

She nodded.

"What? Do you want to get married?" He asked, glancing at her.

"No, what makes you think that?" She asked, giving him a look.

"You got quiet when I mentioned it. Didn't know if that was what you were thinking."

"Would we be having this conversation if I wasn't pregnant?" She asked him.

"Probably not."

"Then that's why I don't want to get married at this stage in our relationship." She said. "I am happy with the way things are right now."

"Me too." He said. "I just wanted to know where you stood on the whole thing."

"I mean, I haven't even told you that I loved you yet." She said, and then bit her lower lip.

"You love me?" He asked, glancing at her.

"I didn't say that."

"Yeah, you kind of did." He said with a smile.

She stifled a smile, shaking her head.

"Aww, you love me." He said, laughing.

"Yeah, didn't really want to confess that in a moving truck." She said, shaking her head.

"Ah, it's alright." He said to her. "If it makes you feel any better, I will confess the same thing in a movie truck."

She looked over at him.

"I love you too." He said, smiling at her.

She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

"You'll get a better one of those when I'm not driving." He said, smiling at her.

"I'll hold you to that." She said, smiling back at him.

He put his hand on her belly and rubbed it a little, smiling.

"Have you thought about whether or not you wanted to know the sex of the baby?" He asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I kind of want to be surprised." He said.

"Me too. I like the idea of being surprised." She said.

"You don't want to know ahead of time, so you can start buying either girl things, or boy things?"

"Nah. I'm not into getting things like that. I'd rather get all of that kind of stuff when the baby is born."

"So, at the doctor this week, if they say they know the sex of the baby, we are going to agree to not find out?"

"Yeah, I like that idea."

"Alright, we will be surprised." He said, smiling.

"I'm getting excited." She confessed. "I wish it was time now."

"You and me both, because that would mean that I was done fishing for awhile, and I could spend time with you and the baby."

"That, and I could skip the uncomfortable part of being pregnant." She said. "I become bitchy the last couple of months."

"Hey, maybe fishing doesn't sound that bad." He joked.

"You suck." She joked, laughing.

"I'm kidding, I do wish I could be there for you."

"It's fine. You have to work. I understand that."

He nodded, smiling at her. She watched out the windshield at the highway. Even though she said what she did, she knew it would take time convincing herself that it will be alright.

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There you go. May have another update tomorrow. The faster you review, the faster I update. hehe. Thanks everyone! :)


	24. Chapter 24

I'm sorry. I know I said I would update yesterday, but time REALLY got away from me, and I didn't have time. However, I figured I would quickly get this chapter up before I left to go country line dancing for the evening. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for all the great reviews! :)

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Raina laid down on the doctors table waiting for the doctor to come into the room. Crosby sat next to her, holding her hand, excited to see the ultrasound.

"You look nervous." She said, smiling at him.

"More excited than anything." He said.

"Have you told any of the guys on your boat?" She asked.

"Nope. Wanted to wait until the second trimester. I read online that waiting until the second trimester was probably the best, in case something happened."

"You've been reading about this online?" She asked, smiling.

"Yeah. I want to be prepared for what's to come."

"I thought I was going to have to force you to read the baby books. Most guys are like pulling teeth to get to read up about this stuff."

"I guess I'm not like most guys, huh?" He asked, smiling at her.

Just then, the doctor walked into the room.

"Hey, how are you?" Dr. D'Angelo asked, shaking their hands.

"Doing great." Raina responded.

"I hear we are starting our second trimester now." He said. "Do you guys want to know the sex of the baby?"

The two of them looked at each other.

"We decided to wait." Raina said, smiling at Crosby.

"Excellent." He said. "How have you been feeling, Raina? Any nausea? You painful at all?"

"No, I have felt the best I have in awhile now actually."

"Great to hear." He said, setting up the ultrasound machine.

The two of them sat quietly while they waited for the doctor to get the ultrasound machine ready. Once the gel was on Raina's stomach, he set the probe on her stomach, and immediately, the room was filled the sound of the baby's heartbeat.

"Heartbeat sounds strong." He said, looking at the screen.

"Wow." Crosby said quietly, staring at the screen.

"There are the fingers." Dr. D'Angelo said, running the probe along her stomach. "And here are the toes."

"I can't believe how much the baby has changed since we were here last." Crosby said, watching the screen intently.

"Have you felt the baby move yet?" The doctor asked Raina.

"Not yet." She said, shaking her head.

"Should happen soon." He said, smiling at her.

The doctor did some measurements on the ultrasound screen, and then printed a picture of the baby for the two of them.

"Everything is looking perfect so far. I will want to see you back in four weeks for another ultrasound, and talk about doing an amniocentesis."

Raina nodded, sitting up on the bed.

"What's that for?" Crosby asked.

"To make sure that everything with the baby is good. Make sure there are no health problems with the baby. Now, you don't have to do one if you don't want too, however, I know you said that you lost your last baby after only a week of age, and yes, since it is SIDS, and we don't know what causes it, but I want to just make sure that nothing is going on with this baby before it is born."

Raina nodded.  
"It makes sense." Raina said, agreeing.

"We can do it at your next visit, if you would like."

"Yeah, we can schedule it to be done." She stated.

"Well, then, go ahead and change, and then head up front and the ladies up there will be happy to schedule your next appointment."

The two watched the doctor leave, and then headed up to schedule Raina's next appointment.

"You better keep me updated on anything while I am gone." He said.

"Of course." She said, smiling at him.

The two of them left the doctors office and went to meet up with their realtor, who was going to take them to a few houses that they had spoken to her about. Raina was excited to go house hunting, and hoped that they would find something that time around that would excite them. Their first trip out left them disappointed, but she had high hopes for that time around.

They pulled up to a house that was in the same neighborhood that Lacey and Mike lived in, which Raina liked. It was close to her new job as well, which was something she was hoping for as well, but it wasn't a requirement in her eyes. One of the things that she was adamant on having, which Crosby agreed, was having a fenced in yard, or at least a big yard that would be easy to fence in, at least three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. The two of them were willing on getting a house that needed a little work, but nothing that would take up all of their time or money.

"Hey guys, how are you doing?" Shannon, their realtor asked, greeting them.

"We're fine." Crosby said, shaking her hand.

"Here is the first of the three places I am showing you today It is a four bedroom, two and a half bath house with a furnished basement. What do you think so far?" She was showing them a nice two story house that was located on the top of a hill in a cul-de-sac, which Raina particularly liked, since that meant less traffic. It had an attached two-car garage that Raina and Crosby both were hoping to get, but was not a necessity.

"It looks nice." Raina said, looking around. "Plus, I love this neighborhood. Our friends live in this neighborhood."

Shannon took them on a tour of the house, and Raina could tell immediately that she liked it, with the exception of the carpet in all of the rooms. She also wasn't a big fan of the kitchen and bathroom counters, but knew that it could be a simple fix.

"What do you guys think?" Shannon asked, smiling at them after she gave them the tour.

"I really do like it. It's a very nice house, but definitely don't like the carpets." Crosby said.

"Me either." Raina said, making a face.

"But we could have the wood floors placed before we even moved in, before the baby is born. This is definitely low on our price range, with room for any improvements we want to get started on." Crosby said. "After the baby is born, getting things done will be a lot harder to do."

"I like how it had the finished basement." Raina said. "That is definitely a plus."

"So, we'll put this on the short list?" Shannon asked.

"Definitely." Raina said, nodding.

Shannon took them to see the other two houses, but she could tell that they couldn't get the first house they saw that day was on their minds.

"So, what are you guys thinking?" Shannon asked, smiling.

"That first house today just seems perfect to me." Raina said, smiling. "It's close to Lacey and Mike, which will definitely help when you are out of town."

"How about this. You guys sleep on it, and then let me know tomorrow what you decide."

"Sounds good to us." Crosby said, nodding.

"Fine. Just let me know."

Raina and Crosby crawled into Raina's car and headed back to Lacey and Mike's house. When they walked inside, Raina could smell the food that Lacey was cooking in the kitchen.

"How did it go?" Lacey asked with a smile.

"Very good. The baby is nice and healthy, and we may have found a house." Raina said with a smile.

"Really? Where at?"

"A few streets down from here." Crosby said.

"You will be living close? I like the sound of that!" Mike said with a grin.

"I want to see this place." Lacey said.

"Well, maybe we can take you there tomorrow?" Raina suggested, looking over at Crosby. "We have to let her know tomorrow, so maybe we can take you two there before giving her our decision."

"I would love to see it." She said with a smile.

"We'll call Shannon in the morning then." Crosby said.

"What smells so good?" Raina asked.

"Making chicken parmesan." Lacey answered.

"Smells amazing. Need help?"

Raina helped Lacey finish dinner, and everyone ate, excitedly talking about the house that Crosby and Raina had found.

The next day, the four of them headed over to the house where Shannon was waiting for them to show them the house again. They all walked through it, and Raina knew after walking through the house, that it was the one that she had wanted. She stood in the living room and looked over at Crosby, who just smiled at her.

"You want it, don't you?" He asked her.

She nodded, smiling at him.

"Alright, Shannon, what do we have to do to put an offer in?" He asked.

Lacey screamed with happiness, giving Raina a hug.

"I love the house. I love it more than my own."

"You will have to help me decorate and furnish it when it's time." Raina said, smiling at her.

"We do want to tear out all of the carpet and put in wood floors before we move in." Crosby said, picking at the carpet.

"There actually is the original wood flooring below the carpet in all of the rooms. The carpet was just laid on top of it when the previous owners moved in." Shannon explained.

"Seriously?" Raina asked.

Crosby went to a corner to see if he could pull the carpet up to see the floors, and was successful.

"Wow, they are actually nice. They need to be cleaned up a bit, but they are very nice floors underneath here."

Raina glanced at the floors, and smiled.

"That probably just saved us a lot of money." Raina said, smiling.

"The whole house has those wooden floors underneath the carpet, with the exception of the basement. That only has cement underneath it."

"I actually like the carpet down there. Will probably become a playroom in the future." Raina said. "And with the money we saved, I could probably redo the whole kitchen to the way I want."

Crosby laughed.

"I'm going to come back to a completely different house if we get it, aren't I?"

"Probably." Raina joked.

"Now, I know we both have to be around for the signing, but can we at least put an offer in, that way the ball is going. If we get it, can the signing wait until I get back from the fishing season?" Crosby asked.

"Most definitely. Raina and I will work on getting the house, and if you guys do get it, and everything goes though, I will make sure all of the paperwork is ready for when you come back, so all you have to do is sign, and then the keys are yours."

"That would make for a perfect Christmas gift." Raina said with a smile.

Shannon quickly sat down with Crosby and Raina to talk about financials and the paperwork that had to be filled out. Once all of it was done, they four of them headed back to the house. Raina grabbed herself a bottle of water, then took a seat on the couch.

"Now it's just a waiting game." She said, making a face.

"I have a good feeling about this." He said.

"I don't know. Everything is coming together way too easily. My life doesn't work that way." Raina said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Think positive. You will get the house. The job will go great, and you will be hired after you have the baby. I'm telling you, you moving out here was a great idea." Lacey said, smiling.

"I am really starting to get super excited about all of this." Raina confessed. "Now, I just need to get the new interior in my car, and then I will be happy."

"I can totally see you with that belly of yours installing new leather interior to your car." Mike joked.

"Hell yeah. This baby isn't going to slow me down any on that car. The no job thing will slow it down though."

"You have a job." Lacey said.

"A temp job, and most of that money will go to the new house, and to you guys."

"I told you guys, you don't have to pay us anything for staying here, just chip in on the food. I would be singing a different tune if you weren't searching for a house, but you are. Let us help you in that area." Mike said.

"Yeah, we are more than happy to help you guys with a place to stay." Lacey said.

"You two are too much." Raina said, smiling at them.

"We weren't going to beg you two to move out here, and then not help you. That would be very shitty of us." Lacey said, laughing.

"Dammit, gotta' go to the bathroom again." Raina said, getting up.

When she was out of the room, Crosby turned to Lacey.

"Will you keep an eye on her for me?" He asked. "It kills me that I won't be here for hardly any of the pregnancy."

"I will definitely be here for her." She said. "I will go to the doctors' appointments and Lamaze classes and everything. You just focus on staying safe to come home. If you get hurt, I will kill you."

Crosby smiled at the comment.

"And if I do not make it back next season for the birth, will you be there for that for me? She wanted her mom here, but she still won't talk to Raina."

"I will definitely be there." Lacey said. She could tell that he was upset about the whole thing.

"Thanks. I really owe you one." He felt relieved that Raina wasn't going to be alone during everything, but couldn't help but feel guilty that it wasn't him that was with her.

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There you have it. Please keep the reviews coming! May not get another update in until later in the week. Hope you enjoyed! :)


	25. Chapter 25

Please remember, this is all made up. Glad you all are enjoying! This is a short update, but I promise a bigger update soon. :)

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Raina drove home from work, zipping through the streets quickly making her way towards Lacey and Mike's house. She had had the longest day that day, but not because it was a bad day, mostly because she knew that Crosby was coming home that day from King Crab Season, and she couldn't wait to see him. When she arrived at the house, she made her way inside, opening the door quickly, and saw Mike, Lacey, Crosby, Scott, and his girlfriend Sara, sitting in the living room.

"Whoa, look at you!" Scott said with a smile when he saw Raina walk into the room.

"I know, I'm fat." Raina said, smiling at Crosby. "But happy now that you are home."

Crosby walked up to her and quickly kissed her belly before sealing his lips against hers.

"I missed you so much." She said to him, smiling through her tears.

"I've missed you too. Was kind of upset that you weren't at the airport to greet me, but I understand you had to work."

"I tried to switch with someone, but didn't want to press my luck, since I will only be there for one more week."

"It's fine. You are here now, that's all that matters." He said, kissing her again.

"How far along are you now?" Sara asked, smiling at her.

"I am 26 weeks." She said, sitting down on the couch next to Crosby.

"Only a few more months to go." Sara said excitedly.

"I know. I can't believe it's getting so close." She said, rubbing her belly. It was covered by her scrubs, which she found herself wearing more than any other clothes those days. Nothing was comfortable anymore to her, but found the most relief when she wore her scrubs.

"Any recent pictures?" Crosby asked.

"I'll get them. You just sit." Lacey said, standing up. She ran into the kitchen to grab the latest sonogram pictures, and then handed them to Crosby, who looked at them with a grin.

"No clue what we are having yet, right?" He asked Raina, looking over at her.

"Not a clue." She said, looking at the pictures as well.

He nodded, still looking at the pictures.

"I want you to feel this." She said, taking his hand and placing it on her stomach. He felt the baby kicking, and he smiled at the touch.

"Is that the first time you felt the baby?" Scott asked.

Crosby nodded.

"It's all so overwhelming." Crosby said, smiling. "A good thing, however."

"Well, you guys, we just wanted to see Raina, so we're going to go." Scott said, standing up. Raina struggled to get up a little, and then walked over and gave him and Sara a hug.

"The pizza should be here soon." Lacey announced.

"Ooh, that sounds good." Raina said, smiling. "I'm going to go to the bathroom."

Crosby watched her leave, smiling.

"She looks great." He said to Lacey and Mike.

"She is doing very well during this pregnancy. Her doctor says the baby is healthy and doing great." Lacey told him.

He nodded.

"She talking to her mom yet?" He asked her quietly.

Lacey shook her head no, taking out glasses to pour the iced tea for the four of them.

Raina walked out of the bathroom as the pizza delivery guy had arrived. She took a seat at the table, taking a sip of the tea that was sitting in front of her.

"How's the job going?" Crosby asked her, setting a plate of pizza in front of her.

"It's going great. I really enjoy it there. I hope they hire me back after the baby is born."

"She has made quite a few friends there too." Lacey said, taking a bite out of her pizza.

"We're actually going out with my friend Beth and her husband Matt tomorrow night, if you are okay with that."

"That sounds good to me." He said.

"Oh, and we have a meeting with Shannon tomorrow morning as well." She added, trying to hide her smile.

"Really? What happened with the house."

"We got it." She said with a smile. "I had to make a different offer than what we originally made, but they took the second offer."

"That's awesome." He said, grinning. "I am so excited."

"Everything is coming together perfectly." She said with a smile. "Just have to get those carpets up and change the kitchen before we actually move in."

"We'll just have to find the right contractor to do it."

"Already done." Lacey said, smiling.

"Really?"

"Lacey and I, as soon as I heard we got the place, looked into finding the best contractor for the right price, and we definitely succeeded." She said. "We're meeting with him tomorrow as well so he can actually see the place, and so you can meet him."

"Sounds like you have been a busy woman." He joked, smiling at her.

"Just trying to get ready." She said, taking another bite of food.

They all quickly ate, and then Raina and Crosby excused themselves to their room. Crosby was exhausted from fishing, and wanted to get some sleep before the busy day that Raina had planned for them the next day.

"Lay on your stomach. I'll give you a massage." Raina instructed him. He did so, taking his shirt off, and then strattled him, rubbing her fingers into his sore muscles.

"I should be doing this to you." He said sleepily.

"Oh, there will be plenty of time for that." She joked. "I will be sore for the next month you are home. You will really only be sore for now. My time will come."

"I have a feeling you will hold me to it too, huh?"

"You bet your ass I will." She laughed.

Crosby laid there, enjoying the feeling of her hands on his back, taking great care to make sure his sore muscles got the attention they needed. He then felt her kiss his neck, then rolling off his back. He turned his head to look at her, and he smiled at her.

"So, when is your last day of work?"

"A week from tomorrow. I have the next two days off, but then work five days straight, then I'm done."

"We will probably leave after that then to go and get my car."

She nodded, smiling at him.

"Unless you aren't okay for the trip. I'm sure Mike will go with me."

"Nah, I'll be okay. We'll have to make more bathroom breaks than our last trip across the country, but I'll be fine."

He smiled at her. He leaned over and gently kissed her, raising her shirt above her baby bump. He then planted a kiss on her stomach, putting his hands around her belly.

"I can't wait to meet you." He said to the baby softly. Raina smiled, watching him talk to her stomach. She then felt the baby kick, and she saw the smile that showed up on Crosby's face.

"The baby knows who you are." She said to him softly.

He kissed her stomach again, and then leaned up and kissed Raina, then propped himself up on his hand, watching her.

"What did you want to do for Christmas?" He asked her. It was only a couple weeks away, and they really hadn't talked about what they planned on doing.

"Up to you. We can spend it with your family, if you wanted."

"Don't want to go home?" He asked.

"Mom and I are still not talking." She said. "Not really something I want to go home too."

He nodded, frowning.

"There is nothing I can do in that aspect. It's whatever."

"Do you think the house will be done by then?" He asked.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"If it is, we can spend it at home, and invite my family out here. I know my parents would love to see our new house."

She smiled at the idea.

"I would like that."

"See, it was smart to keep your bed after all." He said with a smirk.

"See, I do know best." She joked.

"What do you want for Christmas?" He asked her.

"I say we don't get each other anything, and just put the money into the house, and new baby." She suggested.

He nodded.

"Sounds like a fair enough plan." He said.

"You look as if you are going to pass out on me." Raina said, smiling at him.

"I really am exhausted."

She leaned over and kissed him gently.

"Go to sleep." She said to him. "We have a busy day tomorrow."

He nodded, resting his head down on the pillow. They both fell asleep shortly after.

* * *

There you have it! Keep the reviews coming! They definitely keep me motivated to update quicker. :)


	26. Chapter 26

Another update. I am finding myself having writers block. I know what I want to write, but don't know how I want to write it... So, bare with me. Updates will hopefully come soon. Thanks for the reviews!

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"Look at you!" Vivian yelled, smiling when she saw Raina and Crosby walk out of the terminal with their luggage. "You definitely have grown since I have seen you last."

Raina gave Vivian a hug in greeting, as did Crosby, and the three of them headed towards the car.

"Are you guys all moved into the new house yet?" She asked as she drove towards the house.

"No. They are finishing up the kitchen now. The bathrooms and carpets and floors are done, but the kitchen is taking longer than planned." Crosby said.

"Everything is looking so nice though." Raina said from the backseat.

"I hope you brought pictures. I really want to see the place."

"Oh, definitely have pictures. Don't have any after pictures yet, but at least you will get an idea of what it looks like." She answered, smiling.

"How have you been feeling?" Vivian asked Raina.

"Really good. Just starting my third trimester, so I'm in the homestretch." She responded.

"What are your plans for the holidays?" She asked, turning to Crosby.

"We wanted to invite you guys out to Seattle. The house won't be fully done, but enough to where we can host Christmas for you all."

"Are you sure?" Vivian asked. "I think you guys should come out here."

"Well, I officially can't fly anymore after this week, so we can't really travel." Raina said. "Plus, I would love to cook you guys a traditional Danish Christmas meal."

"You're Danish?" She asked, looking in her rearview mirror.

"Yup."

"She is a great cook, actually." Crosby said. "Everything has weird names, which made me weary at first, but I was pleasantly surprised."

"I will talk to George, and maybe we will come out. It sounds like a nice change for once. I mean, it's not often when I am not in charge of Christmas."

"Yeah, I'll take care of everything. You can just relax and enjoy a vacation."

Vivian smiled at her as she pulled up to the house.

The three of them walked inside the house. It was later than they anticipated getting in, since they had many flight delays due to snow, and were all hungry by the time they got there.

"It's so good to see you again." George said, giving Raina a hug.

"It's nice to see you too."

"How much longer until he baby is here?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Three more months."

"George, hunny, the kids have invited us to Seattle for Christmas."

"That would be a nice change of pace." He said, sitting down on the couch. "I sure hope you are a better cook than Crosby. The only thing he can cook really well is greased up meat."

"Thanks, Dad." Crosby said, laughing. "She is actually a very good cook."

"On that note, have to use the restroom."

Raina walked out of the room and the three of them watched her leave.

"She is looking very good." Vivian said, smiling. "Pregnancy suits her."

Crosby nodded, smiling.

"Is she talking to her mother yet?" His mom asked him quietly.

"Nope." He said. "Her dad has been trying to get her to call her, but Cathrine won't budge."

"She will come around by the time she goes into labor. She will not want to be absent for the birth of her grandchild."

"The two of them, from what I have seen, don't have the best relationship. They really aren't the closest."

"She will still come around. I have faith."

"I hope so, for Raina's sake. She's been pretty upset over the whole thing."

Raina walked in at that moment, holding an envelope that held the pictures of the house.

"First, before I show you the pictures, I wanted you to see the most recent ultrasound pictures." Raina said, handing the pictures over to Vivian. She was sitting in between George and Crosby on the couch by that point, and Raina sat down on Crosby's lap to look through the pictures with them.

"Oh, I am so excited to be a grandmother." Viv said, smiling. "Do we know what we are having yet?"

"We want to be surprised." Crosby said.

"Names picked out?"

"Yes, but we don't want to announce it until the baby is born. It's been known to be bad luck if we say the name before birth." Raina said.  
"We did the same thing for our kids." George said, nodding.

"Okay, where are the pictures of the house."

Raina handed over the envelope and they all looked through the pictures, Crosby and Raina explaining what each room was.

"It looks to be a gorgeous home." Viv said, smiling.

"I can't wait until you guys see it. It will be done, and somewhat furnished by that time."

"Raina is more than anxious to get moved into that place."

"I just don't want to put Mike and Lacey out more than we already have." She said. "Plus, I want to have it done so that I can relax, because I'm going to get very uncomfortable very fast."

"Makes sense."

"And with us driving the next few days, that just means less time on working on the house."

"Is the contractor working on the house now, or has it come to a halt since you guys are there?" George asked.

"Mike is overseeing the construction for us, that way it can keep progressing." Crosby said.

Vivian watched Raina make a face, and then rub her stomach.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, the baby is kicking, that's all." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Can I?" She asked, a smile on her face.

"Of course." Raina said, taking her hand and putting it up to where the baby was kicking. She watched as her face lit up at the feel of her grandchild kicking in her stomach.

"That baby sure is kicking in there."

"It's dinner time normally, that's why." Raina said with a smile.

"Well, let me cook you and my grandbaby something to eat." She said, standing up. Raina watched as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"Grandpa, want to feel as well?" Raina asked with a smile.

George nodded, moving closer to Raina and Crosby, and then put his hand on her stomach. Trish walked into the house at that moment, and smiled when she saw her brother and Raina.

"Hey sis. Want to feel your new niece or nephew?" Crosby asked.

"Oh my God, if I knew you guys were going to be here so soon, I would have been here sooner." She said, walking up to them. She knelt down on the floor, setting her things on the floor next to her, and put her hands next to her dads.

"This is so bizarre." Trish said, smiling.

"What, that you're going to be an aunt?" Raina asked.

"No, that my brother is going to be a dad." She said, smiling at Crosby.

"Yeah, that is kind of crazy." George said, laughing.

"Thanks for the vote in confidence, guys." Crosby said.

Raina smiled at him, then gave him a gentle kiss.

Trisha looked through the house photos, and was excited to find out that Christmas was going to be at their house that year.

"I don't think I have ever had Danish food before." Trish said.

"It's my specialty. I learned something from my mother." She said, making a face.

"Dinner is ready." Vivian said at that moment, which Crosby was thankful for. He hated seeing how sad Raina got when her mother was brought up, and was grateful for the interruption.

They all headed into the kitchen for dinner, everyone catching up since they saw each other last. They all then headed into the living room to watch a movie and relax for the evening, since Raina and Crosby were going to be leaving the next morning for Seattle. The two didn't want to do too much that night, so they could get plenty of rest before the long trip ahead of them.

"What time did you two plan on leaving in the morning?" Viv asked as they watched the movie.

"First thing." Crosby said.

"Whenever I wake up." Raina said at the same time he did. The two looked at each other, and then smiled.

"How about you wake me up when you are ready to go. I will just transfer my sleeping to the car." She said to him.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"Well, you have to let me cook you two breakfast before you leave." Viv said. "I won't take no for an answer."

"I think we can manage that." Crosby said, glancing over at Raina, whose eyes were barely open as she laid her head against the back of the couch. She had her legs resting on Crosby's lap as he gave her a foot massage, and it was starting to put her to sleep.

"We're losing her." George said with a smile.

"I'm awake." Raina unconvincingly said.

"You don't have to stay awake, hun. Go to sleep." Vivian said, smiling at her.

She nodded, not moving.

"We both should probably get some sleep." Crosby said, looking at the time.

Everyone agreed. Crosby got up and helped Raina to her feet, and she groggily walked towards the guest room they were staying in that evening.

"Have a good night, you two. See you in the morning." Viv said, watching them leave the room. The two of them walked into the room, and Raina quickly stripped out of the clothes she was in, putting on a pair of shorts and one of Crosby's shirts, which used to be big on her, but was starting to get tight around the waist.

Raina crawled into bed, trying to get comfortable, and Crosby got in bed next to her.

"What?" He asked, when he saw her staring at him.

"I love your family." She answered.

"They seem to really like you too."

She nodded.

"I wish my mom was more like yours. I wish she was more supportive."

"Was she like this after the last time?"

"At first, yes." She answered. "But calmed down after Troy and I got married."

He nodded.

"We have never been close though." She went on. "It was like she lived to argue with me. I have never been good enough for her."

"Don't think that."

"It's the truth." She said. "You only have met her once."

He leaned over and kissed her.

"Don't let her ruin anything." He said to her. "Are you happy?"

She nodded.

"Then that is all that matters."

She smiled a small smile at him.

"You are right." She kissed him again. "Thank you."

"That's what I'm here for." He said.

She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you." She said to him softly.

He smiled, kissing her forehead. "I love you too."

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There you have it. :) Keep the reviews coming! :)


	27. Chapter 27

Working through my writers block. Not my favorite chapter, but it'll do...

I think the ending will make some people happy though. :)

Thanks for the reviews!

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"Jeremy, I don't understand what the big deal is, and why you have to call me right now about this. You know I can't fly out there." Raina said to her brother over the phone. She was working on the huge Christmas spread, and setting up for the dinner. Crosby was due to be home at any point with his parents and sister, who were all out sightseeing for the day while Raina cooked dinner. Vivian tried her best to help Raina with the meal, but she refused.

"I was just hoping that I could get the family together for Christmas. You know Mom wouldn't kick you out of you just showed up."

"Do you not know Mom? By the sounds of it, you don't."

"Then what are you doing for Christmas?" He asked. "Don't tell me that you and Crosby are staying in that new house of yours all alone."

"His family is out here for Christmas." She said, working on the Christmas Glogg. It was a traditional Christmas drink that even though she couldn't drink, she was determined to still make it.

"Playing house wife. Haven't done that in awhile, have you?" He laughed.

"Jeremy, you are an ass sometimes." She said, shaking her head.

"This will be the first Christmas without you. Ronnie is going to be upset that you won't get to meet the new baby."

"And I'm upset I won't be able to either, however, I will have to plan a trip out there after my own baby is born. I can't fly right now."

"Lame."

Raina laughed.

"You know you won't win this argument, big bro." She said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"My kids are upset, wanting to know why their aunt isn't going to be here."

"So, now you're trying to use the kids as a guilt trip?" She asked, shaking her head.

"It's worth a shot, right?" He joked.

"I feel bad enough, however, you should receive my gifts for them in the mail soon, if you haven't already."

"We did get them. They loved them."

"I'm glad to hear they arrived." She said. "Please send everyone my best. Tell them I love and miss them, and I will be there after the baby is born."

"Will definitely do, little sis." He said.

"And Jeremy, please be sure to tell Mom that I'm sorry."

He sighed.

"You don't need to be sorry about anything." He said. "Just come home soon, okay? We all miss you."

"Miss you too."

Raina hung up her cell phone, setting it down on the counter and watched it. She thought about dialing her mother's number, but watching her friend Beth drive up. She smiled at the sight, and walked up to the front door to greet them.

"Hey, so glad that you guys could make it." Raina said, smiling at her friends.

"Didn't think I was going to for awhile there. Work was crazy." Beth said, giving Raina a hug. Raina quickly gave Matt a hug as well, and then closed the door behind them.

"It smells amazing in here." Matt said.

"I want you guys to try something." She said, waving for them to come into the kitchen. She poured them each a glass of the Glogg, and then handed it to them.

"What is this?" Matt asked, smelling it. He glanced at the almonds and raisins in the glass, confused.

"It's Juleglogg." She said.

"You have weird names for your food." Beth joked.

"It's a Christmas Glogg. It's hot, to warn you, but it's amazing."

She watched as the two of them take a sip of the drink.

"Wow, this is amazing." Matt said.

"I'm glad you like." Raina said with a smile.

"Where is everyone?" Beth asked, looking around.

"Crosby took them around town. They have never been to Seattle before, so they went out so I could cook."

"Do you need help with anything?" Beth asked, looking at the food sitting on the stove.

"Nope, everything is just kind of slow cooking right now." She said, smiling. She was leaning against the counter with her cup of hot cocoa. She wanted a glass of her Glogg, however, it had wine in it, so she was unable to enjoy the Christmas treat.

"Thank you for having us over for dinner. You are so sweet to do this." Beth said, smiling at Raina.

"You guys couldn't spend Christmas alone."

"I still can't believe I had to work all through Christmas this year. I would have loved to go home." Beth said, shaking her head.

"The joys of working at a hospital that is open all the time." She responded with a smile.

Beth laughed.

Just then, Raina heard the door open. She looked into the living room to see Crosby and his family walking into the house.

"Hey, you're home." Raina said, walking up to Crosby and giving him a kiss. "Have fun?"

"Seattle is a gorgeous city." Trish said.

"I want you all to meet my friends Matt and Beth. Beth had to work all Christmas, so couldn't go back home to Indiana for the holiday."

"Oh, that's not good." Viv said, smiling at them. "I'm glad that you are here thought to celebrate the holiday with us."

"Where is Lacey and Mike?" Crosby asked, looking at the Glogg on the counter with a questioned look.

"Lacey said they would be here soon." She said, smiling at his face. "Just try it, I promise you will like it."

"It's actually pretty good." Matt said, taking a sip of his own drink.

Crosby poured himself a glass, and then took a sip, looking pleasantly surprised.

"I don't want to know the name of it." He said, smiling. "It will probably just ruin it for me."

Raina grinned, pouring a few more glasses for Crosby's family to try.

"So, why didn't Lacey and Mike go spend Christmas with their families?" Beth questioned, watching Raina check the food in the oven.

"I'm not sure. Didn't really ask them." Raina answered, basting the bird.

"I'm ready to eat." Mike said, coming through the door at that moment.

"Well, we have a little time left, so you're out of luck." Raina said, smiling at the two of them walking into the house.

"It smells amazing in here." Lacey said, giving Raina a hug. She then handed her a pie, which Raina took and put in the refrigerator.

"What do you call this meal?" Mike asked, giving Raina a kiss on the cheek in greeting.

"Stegt Julegaas." She answered, smiling at him.

"If I didn't know how good of a cook you were, I would be going to McDonalds right now."

Raina slapped him on the arm gently, shaking her head.

"Dinner will be ready in about half an hour." Raina said. "How about all of you go into the living room and wait and I'll call you when it's ready."

"Raina, let us help you." Viv said, watching Raina stir some of the food on the stove.

"You are on vacation. You enjoy your vacation. I have this." Raina said, pushing everyone out of the kitchen with a smile.

Everyone went and sat down in the living room, enjoying their Christmas Glogg.

"Is the baby room ready?" Beth asked Crosby.

"Yeah, but Raina doesn't know it yet." Crosby said, putting his finger over his lips to signal for her to keep quiet.

Beth looked at him with a questioned look.

"She has been nagging me to get the room ready before I left in a couple weeks, but I've been putting it off. She hasn't been in there, but I finished it last night."

Beth smiled.

"It's her Christmas present, along with something else." He said, glancing over at Raina in the kitchen, who wasn't paying attention to anything that was being said. She was intently paying attention to finishing the meal.

Beth looked over at Lacey, who looked just as confused as she did. She glanced over at Trish, who was trying to hide a smile, knowing already what the gift was.

"Well? Are you going to tell us?" Lacey asked.

Crosby glanced at Raina again, who had her back towards them. He then reached into his pocket and brought out a small box, then tossed it to Lacey, who was sitting near Beth. He watched as she opened the box to reveal a ring. A smile crossed their faces when they saw it, and looked over at him.

"When are you asking her?" Mike asked, smiling at his friend.

"Haven't decided yet." He answered.

Lacey tossed the ring back to Crosby, who put the ring back in his pocket. He watched as Raina started to put bowls of food on the table that was set up for the dinner.

"Dinner is ready." She said, smiling at everyone.

The group all stood up and went and sat down at the dining table. Everyone quickly said grace before starting to dish out their own plates, passing the food around the table.

"Everything look so yummy." Lacey said, smiling.

"I hope you all enjoy, because I have hot dogs and cheeseburgers on stand-by if you don't." Raina joked, as she took her seat.

"Is there an English name for this meal?" Mike asked, putting some of the roast bird on his plate.

"The bird is Roast Goose." Raina said, smiling.

"It's what?" Trish asked, wide eyed.

"I promise you it tastes better than you would think. When I was younger, and my mother told me what I was eating, I was mortified, but remembered that it doesn't taste bad." Raina said, smiling.

Raina watched as Trish take a small bite of the goose, and then nodded.

"You Danes have weird foods, but they are delicious." She said, smiling.

Raina smiled at the compliment. The food was quickly devoured, and then retired to the living room completely stuffed. Crosby, Mike, and Matt all volunteered to clean up before joining them.

"You look tired." Viv said to Raina, smiling.

"I am. Always get tired after eating a big meal." She said. "Plus, it doesn't help that I was on my feet all day."

"You should have let us help you." Beth said, shaking her head with a smile.

"I wanted to do it. Just think of it as a thank you for everything you have done for me, or may do for me here soon, when I will be so uncomfortable and bitchy. You will have to put up with a fun Raina here soon."

"Who's ready for dessert?" Mike asked, as the three guys came into the living room.

"I can't think about eating another bite right now." Lacey said uncomfortably.

"Me either." Trish said, sitting back.

Crosby sat next to Raina, bringing her feet onto his lap and started to massage her feet.

"Why don't you ever do that for me?" Lacey asked, hitting Mike on the shoulder.

"You aren't pregnant." He said, shaking his head, which only caused Lacey to hit him again.

"Have you two thought about having kids?" Raina asked them.

"Not really a good time for both of us, but someday, we hope too." Lacey said, smiling at her husband.

"Is there really ever a good time?" Viv asked, smiling.

"True." Raina said, nodding.

Lacey shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm just focusing on my career right now." Lacey explained. "Someday though, we will be ready."

After awhile, everyone started heading home after eating dessert. Raina said her good-byes to everyone, and then started to head to bed herself.

"Actually, I want to show you something." Crosby said to her quietly, watching as his family retired to their guest rooms.

"What?" She asked, smiling at him.

He took her hand and led her upstairs to where the baby's room was located. He opened the door, and Honey went flying out of the room, tearing down the stairs.

"Well, there's where she has been." Raina said, watching her cat run out of the room.

"Must have followed me in, and got locked in there." He said, opening the door more. Raina walked in, and a smile crossed her face.

"You finally finished the room." She said, giving him a hug.

"I told you I would do it." He said, smiling at her.

Raina turned back to the room, looking around, and walked up to the crib, running her hand along the side of it, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a small black box that was propped open with a ring in it sitting in the middle of the crib. She turned to say something, but Crosby stopped her before she could get a word out.

"Hear me out." He said, putting his finger up to her lips. "I know we have talked about not getting married at this time in our relationship, but I have been seriously thinking about it, and it just seemed stupid to not even consider it. Every day that I am with you, I love you more and more. When I am away from you, I am not happy until we are together again, and cannot wait to see you again. I cannot imagine my life without you in it."

Raina looked up at him, not knowing what to say to him at that point.

"I honestly believe that we were meant to be together. I mean, I knew that I liked you before we even met, and when we met, it just made those feelings even stronger, and they kept growing ever since. It's like I wasn't complete until we finally met. You make me happier than I ever have been before. Marry me, Raina. Be mine."

Raina felt overwhelmed at that moment, looking down at the ring, and then looked up at him.

"You aren't doing this to make my mother happy, are you?" She asked him, taking his hands in hers. "Because I will not do anything to make that woman happy."

He shook his head, watching her.

"You can keep the engagement a secret from her as long as you want too. She doesn't even have to know about it at all if that's what you want."

She smiled, shaking her head.

"I love you very much. I love you more than I thought I could love somebody. I don't want this relationship to fail like my last marriage did. I want to do this right."

"Me too."

She smiled, then kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yes." She said to him softly.

"Yes?" He almost couldn't believe his ears.

"Yes, I will marry you." She said.

Crosby sealed his lips against Raina's. She was crying by this point, happy with what had just happened. She watched as Crosby put the ring on her finger, and she could see that he was shaking at that point.

"Why are you shaking?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I have never been so nervous in my life." He confessed.

"I can help ease those nerves." She said, smiling at him. She grabbed his hand, and then led him to their room, shutting the door behind them.

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There you have it. Hopefully my writers block didn't make this chapter AWFUL, because I really sat on this one for awhile, but I decided to finally put it up. Please review! :)


	28. Chapter 28

Writers block has gone away by the looks of it. And I hate to say it, but it looks as if the story may come to an end soon. I have an idea for 2 new stories, and want your opinions. I have had an idea for a sequel for my first story "Looking to the Future", or I can do a Josh Harris story that I have had an idea about for a little while. Just let me know what you want to read next.

And don't worry. There are still quite a few chapters left of this story left, just thought I'd warn you ahead of time that it's ending soon. :)

Keep the reviews coming! :)

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The next couple of months flew by for Raina, as she did her best in preparing for the arrival of the baby. With Crosby not there, she felt lonely in the large house, but her friends stopped by often to make sure that she was okay, which helped keep her company.

"Are you sure you don't want one of us to come out there?" Ronnie asked his sister over the phone. Raina was officially full term, and knew that she could go at any moment. Lacey was on stand-by, her cell phone with her at all times, ready for the phone call to rush Raina to the hospital when it was time.

"I am fine. I have Lacey to help me. Plus, you have little Noelle you need to stay with." She said to him. She was sitting on the couch watching TV when he called, concerned.

"That doesn't mean that Jeremy can't fly out. We tried talking Mom into it, but she still won't listen to us."

Raina picked at the remote control, biting her lower lip at the thought of her mother still not talking to her.

"You know, if you just told her you were engaged, it would end this whole thing." He said.

"I will not give her what she wants. She needs to accept the fact that she cannot control my life anymore. And even if I did decide to tell her about this engagement, she would be adamant on us getting married immediately. I don't want another courthouse wedding. I want a real wedding this time. With the dress, and church, and the whole thing. I think I deserve to have that."

"I completely agree with you." He responded.

"I'm doing this my way this time around."

"That's the way it should be done, sis. When are you expecting Crosby to be home?"

Raina sighed.

"I have no clue. Last I talked to him, the season was not going well at all. The weather has been awful, the fishing has been scarce, and they just haven't had any luck at all."

"Well, I hope he makes it back in time for the birth at least."

"Me too, but I want him to come back safely. Crosby didn't tell me much over the phone, because he didn't want to worry me, however, Lacey had talked to Mike, and it's worse than what Crosby has been telling me."

"Don't even think about it. It will be okay. I'm sure everything is fine."

Raina agreed, then watched as Beth and Lacey walk up to her front door.

"Hey, Ronnie, I am going to go. Lacey and Beth are here."

"Alright. Please call if you need anything. We are only a flight away."

"I know. Thanks."

Raina hung up the phone as Beth and Lacey made their way into the house.

"Hey prego, how are you feeling?" Lacey asked, smiling.

"Fat, and uncomfortable." Raina responded, smiling.

"We brought food." Beth said, handing Raina a sandwich from the local deli.

"You guys must have known how hungry I am."

"Raina, when are you not hungry anymore?" She asked, laughing.

Raina nodded, agreeing with her friends.

"Are you sure there are not two babies in that belly?" Lacey joked, watching as Raina propped her sandwich on her enlarged stomach.

"If there are, then that's a surprise to me. I definitely am not prepared to have twins. I don't know if I could handle twins."

"Sure you could. I see you having a herd of babies." Beth said with a smile as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

"You are a riot." Raina said, making a face at her friend.

"Little baby, it's time to come out and play. We want to meet you." Lacey said, putting her hands on Raina's belly.

"My back would definitely appreciate it if you would come out too." Raina added. "Maybe I would be able to get a good night's sleep again."

"Yeah right. That has officially ended for you, hun." Beth said, smiling at her.

"Maybe Crosby will be one of those hands on type of guys. He will come back from fishing, and want to do all of the work. I will totally be all for taking turns every night on who gets to sleep and who cares for the baby."

"I think he will be like that. I honestly do." Lacey said.

"I do too. He was reading all of these books before he left to go fishing. I have been very impressed with him."

"I think he's going to be a great dad." She said, smiling.

"I do too." Raina said with a smile.

"Any of your family coming out?" Beth asked.

Raina shook her head.

"My brothers, or their wives, take turns on who calls me every day, but nobody is planning the trip because I have told them not too."

"You don't want any family out here?"

Raina shook her head.

"It's because you want your mom, huh?"

"I don't want her out here if she doesn't want to be here for me. I don't want any negativity around me."

The two girls sat in silence at the comment.

"What about Crosby's parents?"

"Vivian is going to be here next weekend." Raina said. "At least she will be around. I'm hoping the baby hasn't arrived by then. I would be happy if she could at least be there, even if my mom nor Crosby can make it."

"Well that'll be nice."

Beth and Lacey stayed at the house a little while longer before leaving Raina alone. Raina did some cleaning, and started to pack for her hospital trip. She was starting to get stir crazy in the house, but wanted to make sure that everything was ready for when the baby arrived.

A week later, Raina was preparing the house for Vivian's arrival. She was excited to have company, and she knew that Vivian was just as excited to be out here for the birth of the baby. Raina couldn't be happier for the help around the house as well.

As she was making up the guest bedroom, she started to feel stomach pains. She leaned against the wall, massaging her stomach a little, taking a deep breath. It didn't feel like a contraction, so she was confused as to what it was. After standing there a moment, she felt better, and started to walk down the hall. She felt another sharp pain, which took her breath away. She leaned back against the wall, feeling dizzy at that point. She slid down the wall to the floor, reaching in her pocket for her phone. She quickly dialed Lacey's number.

"What's up?" Lacey answered, seeming distracted.

"Lacey, there is something wrong."

"What's going on?" Lacey asked, immediately concerned.

"I don't know. I'm in pain, and I'm dizzy, and my heart is pounding."

"I'm on my way. Raina, call 911."

"No, just get here and drive me. I'll be okay."

"Fine, I'll call 911." She said, not wanting to argue with Raina.

Lacey hung up the phone on her, and Raina felt more pains in her stomach. The worst scenario's were going through her head at that point, and she started to cry.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lacey appeared in the hallway and rushed to Raina's side.

"The ambulance is on its way." She said, sitting down. "Does it feel like you are in labor?"

Raina shook her head, rubbing her stomach.

"The baby isn't moving much." Raina said.

"It's okay." Lacey said. She noticed that there was blood between Raina's legs, but opted to not say anything to Raina, in fears of worrying her more than she already was. The last thing she wanted was for Raina to start to panic.

The paramedics arrived and lifted Raina onto the stretcher before rushing her to the ambulance. Lacey climbed into the back of the ambulance with Raina before they were rushed to the local hospital.

"Placental Abruption." Dr. D'Amato said, walking into Raina's room.

"What?" Raina and Lacey said.

"That's why you were experiencing pain, dizziness, and the blood. You have placental abruption. It's where your placenta separates from the uterine wall. It hasn't completely separated, but part of it has come unattached."

"What blood?" Raina asked, looking over at Lacey.

"Yeah, I didn't really tell you that I saw some blood on your pants when I came over, but it's alright. It's all going to be alright."

Raina shook her head, turning back to the doctor. "What does this mean?" Raina asked. "Is the baby okay?"

"We need to get you in to have an emergency c-section. Every second is important, and the sooner we get the baby out, the better."

"Are you telling me that I could lose the baby?" Raina asked, mortified.

"I am going to do everything I can to save you and the baby."

"Wait, me?" She asked, getting more scared as the conversation went on.

"You could be losing a lot of blood. That's why we need to get you in the OR right away. There is no time to spare."

Lacey took Raina's hand in hers, comforting her friend. Raina took a deep breath, trying to fight back the tears.

"The nurses will be in to prep you for surgery, and then take you down to the OR."

Raina nodded, watching the doctor leave the room.

"I'm going to make a phone call while they get you prepped for surgery." Lacey said, then walked out of the room, leaving Raina alone with the nurses.

Lacey had Raina's cell phone and quickly searched for the Wizards number, and then dialed it.

"The Wizard." Keith answered the phone.

"Hey, Keith, It's Lacey Fourtner." She said.

"Well if you're calling, then this must be bad news." Keith said, shaking his head.

"Raina's getting ready to undergo an emergency C-section." Lacey said, watching through the door at Raina with the nurses.

"What's going on?"

"She's bleeding out and may lose the baby, and maybe even worse. It's not good. Can I please talk to him?"

"I wish you could, but he's not here." Keith said to her, which confused Lacey.

"Where is he?"

"We finished fishing last night. He should be there at any time. He hasn't called?"

"No. I haven't heard from him."

"Maybe he's still on the plane. I would definitely try to call him."

"Thanks Keith."

Lacey hung up the phone, and then dialed Crosby's number quickly, but it went straight to voicemail. She left him a message, telling him to come to the hospital instead of the house when he got to town.

"We're heading out." The nurse said to Lacey as she wheeled Raina out of the room.

"I will be right out here waiting for you." Lacey said, smiling at Raina.

She nodded.

"It's going to be okay."

Lacey watched as Raina disappeared, and she felt sick to her stomach. She hoped what she said was true.

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There you have it. Remember to please review, and give me an idea of which story I should write next! Thanks! :)


	29. Chapter 29

Sorry for the cliffhanger guys! But I worked hard on getting the update on the computer and on here for you. Thanks for the reviews, and to those that have given me their feedback on what my next story should be. If you haven't chosen, please let me know. Either a Josh Harris story, or the sequel to my first story "Looking to the Future".

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"Where is she?" Vivian asked, walking into the hospital waiting room. She had gotten Lacey's voicemail, and immediately came to the hospital when she arrived in Seattle.

"She's still in surgery." Lacey said. She was holding a cup of coffee, sitting in the waiting room. She looked as if she had been to hell and back.

"What happened? I thought everything was going well with the pregnancy."

"Everything was. I guess this can happen. The doctor called it placental abruption. He said that she is bleeding out, and there is a chance that she could lose the baby, or even worse, she may not even make it."

"Did he say if it was a full, or partial abruption?"

"Partial." Lacey answered.

"Then there is a chance that both will be just fine. If he said it was a full, then things would be much different."

Lacey nodded.

"Have you heard from Crosby?"

Vivian shook her head.

"From what I understand, he is on his way back here, but his phone is off, and I can't get ahold of him."

"He'll get here."

"I just hope he gets here before something happens."

"Nothing is going to happen." Viv said, trying to calm the nervous Lacey.

"I promised him I would take care of her." Lacey said quietly. "And she is definitely not okay."

"Lacey, there is nothing you could have done better than what you did. Crosby will just be happy you were there for her."

Just then, Raina's phone rang. Lacey glanced at it to see that it was one of her brothers that were calling.

"Finally, someone from her family is calling me back." Lacey said, standing up. She left the room to take the phone call and update Ronnie on what was going on.

Vivian poured herself a cup of coffee, hoping to hear news on Raina soon. She said a little prayer to herself, praying that both Raina and the baby made it through okay. She had a friend who had Placental Abruption, and unfortunately, she had lost the baby. She was hoping that Raina didn't have that same fate.

Just then, Vivian watched as Crosby run pass the waiting room, frantic. She rushed to the door and called for her son, who spun around and walked up to her.

"What happened?" He asked. He looked sick to his stomach.

"She's in surgery. We just have to keep positive thoughts that everything will be okay."

"I knew from the voicemail that something was wrong. Lacey didn't even have to say it. I could just feel it in my stomach. What's going on?"

"She was bleeding, and was lightheaded and collapsed."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I have faith that she will."

"I need her in my life. I can't handle it if I lose her."

"We need to think positive, Cros. Don't think about anything else. She will make it through this."

Just then, the doctor came into the waiting room, with Lacey following closely behind.

"Dr. D'Amato. What happened? Is she alright?" Crosby asked, walking up to him.

"Raina lost a lot of blood, but she is doing very well. The baby is doing great as well. Raina is waking up, but is very weak, and will be for awhile. She really just needs rest."

"Can we see her?" He asked, not believing what he was saying until he saw her for himself.

"Yes, come with me."

Relief washed over the three of them as the doctor led the way to Raina's room. Crosby immediately went to Raina's side when they arrived in the room. She was just waking up when they got there.

"Crosby, you're here." She said softly, smiling a small smile at him.

"Of course I'm here. How are you feeling?"

"Sore, tired." She said, making a face.

He gently kissed her. He had never been so scared in his life.

"Here's your new baby." One of the nurses said, coming in wheeling a small baby bed with the bundled up child in it.

"I had been so worried about you, I can't believe it didn't pass my mind once about the baby." Crosby said, standing up to look at his new child.

"What did we have?" Raina asked, glancing at the bed. She was too tired to sit up.

"It's a little girl." The nurse said, smiling. She lifted the tiny infant up and handed her over to Crosby, who cradled her in his arms.

"She is gorgeous." Viv said, smiling at the sight of her son holding her grandchild.

"Let me see her." Raina said. Crosby sat down on the bed next to Raina, and she smiled at her daughter, who was peacefully sleeping at that point.

"Want to hold her?" Crosby asked.

Raina shook her head.

"You just got her. I'm too tired still." She said, smiling at him.

"So, are you guys going to spill the name of the baby, or what?" Lacey asked, smiling from the foot of Raina's bed.

Crosby looked down at Raina, who just smiled at him, and then nodded.

"Kylie Marie." Crosby said, then kissed his daughters semi-bald head.

"I love it." Viv said, smiling.

"Want to hold her?" Crosby asked his mom.

Everyone took turns holding the baby as Raina watched. Beth and Matt showed up to the hospital awhile later, since Beth had just gotten off work, to visit as well. Vivian took pictures of everyone with the baby. After awhile, everyone decided to leave, with the exception of Crosby, to leave them alone together.

"I'm glad you made it." Raina said, smiling at him, watching him hold the baby in the chair next to the bed. She still didn't have much energy, and wanted to sleep in the worst way, but she was so happy to see Crosby, she didn't care how tired she was.

"I am too. I'm happier you are okay though. I had never been so worried in my life."

"You can't get rid of me that easily." She said with a smile.

"Time to try to breast feed again." The nurse, whose name was Betty, said as she walked into the room.

Raina nodded, sitting up slowly. Betty took Kylie from Crosby, who then handed her over to Raina. She had been trying to breast feed since she had woken up, but was unsuccessful. The baby just didn't want to latch on.

"She's still not interested." Raina said, after the unsuccessful attempt.

"It's alright. I have a bottle here to feed her, if you want." Betty said, handing her a bottle.

Raina nodded, setting the bottle down on the counter.

"You want to feed her?" Raina asked Crosby.

He glanced at her, a little confused, but took Kylie from her, and then took the bottle, sitting back down.

"You alright?" He asked her, as he fed Kylie.

"Yeah. Just tired. It's been a long day."

Crosby nodded.

After awhile, the nurses took Kylie to do another exam on her. It was late, and Raina found herself starting to fall asleep.

"I'm going to go home, but I will be back first thing in the morning." Crosby said, sitting down on the bed next to Raina.

She nodded, smiling at him.

"If you need anything, you promise to call me?"

"I definitely will do."

He kissed her, and then left. Raina laid in bed, and she felt a tear fall down her cheek. She turned out the light in her room, wanting to be alone.

Crosby parked his car in the garage, and then walked into the house. Vivian was there, watching TV in the living room, but smiled when she saw Crosby enter the room.

"How's Raina and Kylie doing?" Viv asked, smiling.

"They are doing great. Raina's tired, but besides that, seems to be doing well. It took everything in me to leave Kylie, but I couldn't stay there overnight."

"We'll just have to get there first thing. She is the prettiest granddaughter in the world." She said with a grin.

"She is beautiful. Just like her mother." Crosby said, taking a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

"Speaking of Raina, is she okay?" Viv asked, sitting at the kitchen counter.

"What do you mean?"

"Something just seemed off." She said, reaching for her camera.

"She's been through a lot today. I don't blame her."

"Didn't you notice she didn't hold Kylie once today?"

"Sure she did. When she was trying to breastfeed her."

"What did she do when that was unsuccessful?" Viv asked.

Crosby was silent.

"I was looking through the pictures, and not one of the pictures, she is holding the baby. She's in the pictures, but she is not touching the baby in any way."

Crosby went through the pictures on the digital camera, frowning.

"I'm sure we're just imagining things." He said, handing back the camera. "She really had been through a lot today."

"What mother doesn't want to hold their new baby?"

"Mom, just you wait and see. Tomorrow, we will walk in, and she will be holding Kylie. We're just thinking too much into it."

Vivian shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm going to bed. I haven't slept since yesterday." Crosby said. "I will see you in the morning."

Vivian watched as her son retreated to his room, and she took a seat in the living room. She flipped through the pictures again. She hoped she was imagining things, but she didn't think she was.

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There you have it! Please keep the reviews coming! Gives me the motivation to write more. :)


	30. Chapter 30

Here's another update! Thank you guys SOOO much for the reviews! Please keep them coming! :)

Also, looks as if the Sequel to "Looking to the Future" has won, so I will be starting to work on that. I don't know how much longer this story will be, but it will be coming to an end soon (I know, i'm sad too :( )

Remember, I don't own anything. Wish I did, but I will keep dreaming. :-P

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Raina woke up the next morning to the nurse walking into the room with Kylie.

"Ready to try again?" The nurse asked.

Raina nodded, slowly sitting up. She took Kylie and tried to get her to latch on. This time, however, she was successful.

"I knew she would come around." Betty said, smiling at her.

Raina nodded, watching the TV while Kylie ate.

"I'll leave you two alone. Call me if you need anything."

"Actually, can you wait until she is done? I want to get some more sleep before people start showing up, and I can't do that well if she's in here."

Betty gave Raina a confused look, but agreed to wait. Once Kylie was done eating, Raina handed her over to Betty, who walked out of the room, coddling the baby. Raina laid back down, getting comfortable, when she saw someone come into the room, and stand at the doorway.

"Mom?" She said, confused.

"I'm glad to see you are okay." Cathrine said, watching her daughter.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, giving her a questioned look.

"Ronnie told me you were in the hospital, and were in for emergency surgery. I took the next flight out here."

Raina nodded. She had her hands under her blanket, and she quickly removed her engagement ring from her hand, and then set it next to her under the covers.

"How are you doing?" She asked, coming in and sitting in the chair next to Raina's bed.

"I'm fine. Tired, but fine."

"And the baby?"

"She's fine." Raina said, watching her mom.

"So you had a little girl?" She asked.

Raina nodded.

"Her name is Kylie Marie."

Cathrine smiled a small smile at her.

"How have things been?" Raina asked, glancing at her mom.

"Alright. Been busy on the farm."

Raina watched her mom.

"What brought you out here, after not talking to me for how long?" She asked, getting right to the point.

"You're my daughter. I found out you were hurt, and I couldn't not be here."

"And I wasn't hurt this whole time?" Raina said, crossing her arms. "You always make me feel like shit, and you never cared. You don't think that hurt?"

"Of course I cared. I only want what's best for you."

"Who says that this isn't what is best for me? I am happy, Mom. I like the way things are in my life."

"You should be married before having a kid. Not the other way around."

"Yes, this isn't the ideal way of doing things, but Mom, Crosby and I are happy the way things are. He's not leaving me. We probably will get married in the future, but right now, we are focusing on Kylie."

Cathrine just shook her head, sighing.

"Please, Mom. You have to realize that I can take care of myself. I mean, look at me. I own a great house, living with the most wonderful man in the world, and have a daughter. Isn't that what most parents want for their kids?"

Cathrine didn't say anything at the comment.

"Why can't, for once, you just be happy for me?"

Cathrine looked at her daughter, who looked upset.

"You're right." Cathrine said. "Who says that I have to tell you how to live your life."

Raina nodded. The two of them were silent, and then Raina broke the silence.

"Do you want to see your granddaughter?"

Cathrine smiled at the comment.

Raina pushed the button to call the nurses' station. She asked to have Kylie brought into her room, and the nurses were surprised to hear Raina ask for her, since she has yet to ask for her.

It didn't take long for Betty to walk into the room with Kylie. Cathrine stood up when Betty came in, and she handed the little girl to her grandmother.

"She looks just like you." Cathrine said, smiling down at her granddaughter.

Raina nodded, smiling at her mom. She watched as Cathrine kissed Kylie's head, watching her.

Just then, Raina saw Vivian and Crosby walk into the room. Crosby stopped in his tracks when he saw Cathrine sitting in the chair holding Kylie.

"Hey, good morning." Raina said, smiling at them.

"Good morning." He said, confused. He walked up to the bed, and gave her a kiss, smiling at her, but then gave her a questioned look.

"Mom, I want you to meet Crosby's mom, Vivian." Raina said, doing introductions.

"Nice to finally meet you." Vivian said, smiling at her.

"You have a great son. I can tell he really cares about my daughter." Cathrine said. Raina almost choked on her water at the compliment that Cathrine gave out so easily.

"I have to say the same about your daughter. You definitely raised her well."

Cathrine smiled, looking over at her daughter.

"How long you in town for, Mom?" Raina asked, grabbing her engagement ring, wanting to give it to Crosby to put in his pocket so for sure, she wouldn't find it.

"I have a flight to leave tomorrow." She said. "I really couldn't leave the farm for too long."

Raina nodded.

"When did the doctor say you can leave?" Cathrine asked.

"Not for a couple days, and I have to take it easy for the next few weeks, which totally sucks." Raina said, making a face. She gently elbowed Crosby, who was sitting on the bed next to her, and took his hand in hers, giving him the ring. Knowing immediately what she was doing, he quickly put it in his pocket without anybody noticing what was going on.

"That's why I am here. I will be here as long as you need me, and want me to be here to help you." Vivian said, smiling at Raina.

"Which I am thoroughly grateful for." Raina said, smiling back at her.

"I would if I could." Cathrine said, smiling at Kylie.

"That's fine, Mom. We will have to plan a trip to Iowa sometime." She said, looking at Crosby.

"Yeah, Kylie has to meet the whole family."

"Maybe we'll just try to worry about the immediately family first." Raina said, smiling. "How is Noelle doing?"

"She is a happy little baby." Cathrine said.

"I can't wait to see her." Raina said, smiling. "The pictures Ronnie and Hillary have sent me are absolutely adorable."

Just then, Kylie started to cry.

"I think she wants Mom." Cathrine said, smiling.

"She probably needs her diaper changed. Will one of you get the nurse?"

Vivian looked at Crosby.

"We can change her. We are her parents." Crosby said, standing up and taking Kylie from Cathrine. He gently laid her down in the little baby bed that the nurses had brought into the room, and quickly changed Kylie. He wrapped her back up in the baby blanket, and immediately Kylie stopped crying.

"She's a happy girl now." Vivian said, smiling.

"I think she wants her mom still." Crosby said, smiling at Kylie.

"It hurts too much to hold her." Raina said, shaking her head. "Just sit by me, and I will see her that way."

"Raina, what's wrong?" Cathrine asked.

"My incision really hurts. It may be time for more pain medication." Raina said, rubbing her stomach.

"How have you been breast feeding her?" Her mom asked her.

"Painfully." Raina said, giving her mom a look. "Plus, she finally did it for the first time this morning."

"Why don't you want to hold your child?" Cathrine asked, confused.

"Mom. Why is this an issue? You and Vivian will hardly get to see her. I want you guys to get all the time you can with her before you leave. I will be with her for the rest of her life."

Cathrine just watched her daughter, who wouldn't even look at her at that point. She was watching the TV in the room, which was replaying the news over and over again.

Raina was quiet during the rest of the visit from Vivian and Cathrine. After awhile, Crosby took them to lunch, and then took Cathrine to the house so she could see it, leaving Raina alone. Kylie was left in the room with her, sleeping in the bed next to her. Raina looked at her out of the corner of her eye, biting her lip. She then heard her phone vibrate. She reached over and grabbed it, seeing that Jeremy was calling her.

"How's the new momma?" He asked cheerfully.

"Sore. How are you?" She asked, smiling at the sound of his voice.

"I'm doing great. How was your surprise visitor?"

"It actually went a lot better than planned. What made her finally come out here?"

"Ronnie told her you were in the hospital. She didn't say a word, but the next thing we saw was her leaving with a suitcase. I knew that would finally make her give in."

Raina laughed a little, careful to not wake Kylie.

"However, I talked to Mom. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine."

"You're a liar." He bluntly said.

"Excuse me?"

"Raina. You have been so excited about that baby being born you could hardly stand it. Now, the baby is born, and from what I understand, you don't want anything to do with her."

"Of course I do. She's in here with me now."

"You holding her?"

"Well, no." She said, making a face.

"When was the last time you held her?"

"When I fed her."

"And then what?"

"I gave her to Crosby."

"Raina, what's going on?"

"Nothing. I am just handling things the way I want to handle them."

"Handle what things?"

"Jeremy, I was so excited about Avery, and I lost her. It broke my heart. I start getting excited about this baby, and almost lose her. I can't handle it. I figure if I keep my distance, I will be alright for when it happens."

"For when what happens?"

"When I lose her."

"Raina, do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Who sits and thinks about when they lose their child?"

"I'm just preparing myself."

"Raina, do you take back anything you had done when you were with Avery?"

"Well, no." She said, glancing at Kylie.

"Then why are you doing this to yourself? You didn't lose Kylie yesterday. Be thankful for that. Also, Kylie needs you. You are her mother. She needs your love just as much as you need hers."

She looked over at the sleeping infant, knowing her brother was right.

"Just think about it. I want you to send me a picture of her. Text it or something. I have to see my new niece."

"I will do that." Raina said. She hung up her phone, then looked at Kylie. She called for the nurse, asking her to come into the room.

"Want me to take her away?" Betty asked, going over to the bed.

"No, actually, can you help me? I can't pick her up."

The nurse gave her a surprised look.

"Of course." She said, picking up the sleeping infant. She stirred a little at being touched, and woke up, but didn't start to cry. She carefully handed her to Raina, who looked at her daughter, and she felt herself starting to cry.

"Let me know if you need anything." The nurse said, smiling to herself, and then left the room.

Raina looked at her daughter for the first time, studying every feature of her. She had looked at her before, but never really paid attention to her. She ran her finger around her face, smiling to herself, and then put her finger in her tiny little hand. Kylie's hand immediately grasped her finger.

"Hi my beautiful baby." Raina said to her quietly. She gently kissed her tiny hand, and watched her comfortably sit in her mothers arms.

Raina heard her phone vibrate, and she reached over gently to grab it. She saw that Crosby was calling her.

"Hey, how are you doing?"

"Fine." She said through her tears.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said, laughing a little. "Kylie really is a beautiful little girl."

"Just like her mom. Where is she?"

"She's sleeping in my arms right now." She said, watching Kylie sleep.

Crosby smiled at the comment.

"I was thinking about coming back up, but I wanted to make sure you were okay if Cathrine and Mom come with."

"Yeah, they can come. But can you bring something else?"

"Sure, what would you like me to bring?"

"The box." She said, taking a deep breath.

"What box?" He asked, confused.

"The box hiding in the back of my closet."

Crosby was silent for a moment.

"Really?"

"Yes. Just don't let Mom in it. Mom and I will be having a long talk."

"I'll find it and bring it up. We'll be there soon."

Raina hung up her phone, and then looked down at the sleeping Kylie. She was either going to make her mother very happy, or very angry. Either way, she knew it was time.

* * *

There you go. May have time for another update on Sunday. Have family in town from Chicago, and I'm super excited to spend time with them. :) Please review! I love to hear what you have to say! :)


	31. Chapter 31

Thanks again for the reviews! Keep them coming!

* * *

By the time Crosby, Vivian, and Cathrine arrived, Raina had fallen asleep with Kylie sleeping next to her. Crosby set the bag he was carrying down next to the bed, then gently kissed Raina's forehead. She stirred a little, and opened her eyes, smiling at the sight of Crosby.

"I sure do enjoy waking up to you." She said with a smile.

"How was your nap?" Cathrine asked her daughter.

Raina glanced over at her, her smile fading.

"It was fine." She answered. She then turned to Crosby. "Did you bring it?"

Crosby lifted the bag and set it on Raina's bed, and then took Kylie from her, smiling at his daughter.

"Mom, let's go for a walk with Kylie." Crosby suggested.

Vivian looked at him, then over at Raina with a questioned look. Raina just smiled at her, as if she was asking for some time alone with her mother.

"How are you feeling?" Cathrine asked after the others left.

"Still sore. Tired as well."

Cathrine nodded, glancing at the bag that was sitting on Raina's bed.

"So, you going to tell me what's in the bag?" Her mother asked, crossing her arms.

Raina sighed, feeling as if it was now or never.

"You know how I don't like talking about Avery, right?"

"You make it clear every time I see you, and you aren't quiet about it."

Raina rolled her eyes.

"You know how I told you that I destroyed all of the pictures and memories of her that I had?"

"And all of my stash as well, if I do recall." Cathrine said, not amused by the conversation.

Raina sighed, seeing that the conversation wasn't starting off well. She reached into the bag carefully, and pulled up her beat up shoebox. She sat with her hand on top of the box with her eyes closed, fighting back the tears that were trying to creep out.

"Are you going to continue on with this conversation, or take a nap with your box?" Cathrine impatiently asked.

Raina opened the box, taking out the small stack of pictures, and then handed them to her mother, who slowly took them. Raina watched as she slowly went through the pictures, with no emotion at all on her face.

"Where did these come from?" Cathrine finally said, looking at her daughter.

"I've hid them all these years." She confessed. "I couldn't bring myself to destroy everything."

"But it's alright to destroy all of our memories? Your brothers, your dad, and myself have been heartbroken not being able to see sweet little Avery when we wanted."

"I know. It wasn't fair to you guys at all. I apologize for that. But you have to understand what I went through."

"How could we? You never talked about it. You would just start screaming at us every time we tried talking to you about it, and you would eventually just leave."

"It was hard." Raina said, shaking her head, fingering the baby blanket that belonged to Avery.

"I know it was hard. That's why we tried to help you, but you wouldn't let us."

"I was in a dark place back then."

Cathrine looked down at the pictures, flipping through them some more.

"I am still working through my emotions when it comes to Avery, and it will still take time, but I'm starting to come around."

Cathrine was still silent.

"And my way of working through it is this. I want you to take some pictures. Not all of them, because I can't part with them all, but this way, you have something to remember my first child by."

Raina waited for her mother to say something. She was not one to be silent, but to be very opinionated, and had something to say about everything. The fact that she was so quiet freaked her out.

"Mom, say something."

Cathrine looked up at Raina, and it was then that she noticed that she was crying.

"Mom, I didn't mean for you to cry."

Cathrine just shook her head, smiling a little.

"She really was a great little girl." She said.

Raina sighed.

"I was just so mad at you. You took away everything that I had of her. I just wanted something besides a little sonogram. I didn't have a picture of her at all."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Cathrine looked back down at the pictures.

"Thank you, for showing me these." Cathrine said, holding up the pictures.

Raina nodded, clutching onto the baby blanket.

"I honestly look at these, and all the anger I have felt for the past few years is just disappearing."

"If it makes you feel any better, I have been angry with me too." Raina said, smiling a little at her mom.

"I am very happy for you." Cathrine confessed. "I may have not been the best mother in the world, but you have really turned out to be a wonderful young woman."

Raina looked down at the blanket, feeling the tears start to well up again. It was rare if she got a compliment from her mother, and the fact that she had gotten two that day was unheard of. She knew that after today, things would go back to the way that they always had been, but at least she would have a clear conscience about it.

Raina saw Crosby poke his head in the doorway, giving Raina a glance to see if it was alright to come back in the room. She smiled at him, which prompted him to come in the room.

"Hey, we're back from our walk." Crosby said. He was holding Kylie, who was awake, but fussing a little. "And I think someone is hungry."

Raina held out her arms, taking Kylie to feed her.

"What are these?" Vivian asked, looking at the pictures that Cathrine was looking at.

"Pictures of Avery." Cathrine said.

"She was my first daughter." Raina explained.

Vivian looked at Raina with a questioned look.

"Mom, she had a baby before, but she died at a week of age." Crosby clarified.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry."

Raina nodded.

"Wow, her and Kylie look a lot alike. Both look just like you." Vivian said, looking at the pictures over Cathrine's shoulder.

Raina smiled at the comment, looking down at the suckling baby.

"Kylie's hair is definitely darker, and more curly." Raina said, smiling at her daughter. "She gets the curl from her daddy."

Crosby laughed, sitting down in the chair by the bed.

At that point, Raina quickly moved Kylie to switch breasts so she could eat more. It was at that point when Vivian gave her a weird look.

"What?" Raina asked when she saw the look she was getting.

"I'm confused." Vivian asked.

"About what?" Raina asked.

"Why aren't you wearing your ring? Did you two get in a fight that I don't know about?"

Raina's eyes got wide, turning to Crosby.

"No, no fight Mom." Crosby said, sitting up in his chair.

"What ring?" Cathrine asked, looking over at Crosby and Raina.

"No ring." Raina said, trying to give a look to Vivian to drop the subject.

"No ring? What are you talking about? Your engagement ring."

Raina closed her eyes, not wanting to hear the reacting she was going to get from her mom at that point. Everything was going so well that day, and she didn't want to ruin it, but had a feeling it was going to change drastically.

"Engagement ring?" Cathrine asked.

Vivian looked over at Crosby, confused.

"Yes, Mom, an engagement ring." Raina said, making a face.

"So, you two are engaged?" Cathrine asked.

"Yes, we are."

"For how long now?" She asked, getting angry.

"Since Christmas." She answered, taking a deep breath.

"So let me guess, I'm the last to find this out, again." She said, standing up.

"Because I didn't want you to think you got what you wanted."

"Raina, I just don't understand you sometimes. And you wonder why I cannot deal with you at times." Cathrine said, throwing the pictures she was holding onto the bed. She then stormed out of the room.

"Well, that went great." Raina said, glancing over at Crosby.

"I didn't know she didn't know." Vivian said, looking awful for giving up their secret.

"It's alright. Didn't know I would have to tell you. Didn't know she would just show up unexpectedly."

"What's going to happen now?" Viv asked, glancing at Raina.

"Probably the same thing that happened last time. Will come back, demand that me and him have a courthouse wedding, and be done with it."

"You don't need a courthouse wedding. You deserve to have the wedding of your dreams." Vivian said, smiling. "It's a shame you didn't get one last time."

"I was young and stupid at that time. I am doing things the right way this time." She said, smiling at Crosby.

"We are going to do this our way." He added.

"And you have my full support."

Raina smiled.

"Thank you. That really does mean a lot." Raina said to her. She only hoped that her mom would come around too.

* * *

There ya' have it. Hope to update soon. I do have more written out, just a matter of getting it on the computer. :) Please review! Love hearing what you have to say! :)


	32. Chapter 32

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. It's been a crazy couple of weeks at work, and yesterday was my birthday, so I was out celebrating with family the past couple of nights. Wanted to get this up before I went away this weekend to celebrate with friends.

Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming. It will be like a birthday present to me. :)

* * *

The next couple months flew by for Raina. She didn't hear back from her mom, which she was surprised about, but was actually happy that she didn't call. She wasn't in the mood to fight with her. She just wanted to spend time at home with Crosby, and her new baby.

"So, when are you going to start planning the wedding?" Beth asked, smiling at Raina as they ate lunch at a restaurant downtown.

"Haven't thought about it. Just enjoying being at home with Crosby and Kylie." She said, smiling at the sleeping baby that was in the stroller next to the table.

"Have you guys talked about it at all?" Lacey asked, taking a sip of her iced tea.

"Yeah, of course we have. We just haven't set a date yet."

"I say next summer, on the beach somewhere." Beth said with a smile.

"That would be nice, however, getting my whole family to fly anywhere at the same time will never happen, and it is very important to me to have my whole family at the wedding."

"Wait, aren't you related to a whole town?" Beth asked, smiling.

"Not a whole town, but most of it. But now you see why I can't just have the wedding anywhere but there in town."

"That must suck, being related to so many people." Lacey said, making a face.

"You would think. I mean, it sucked growing up in a town where I'm related to everyone. I could never do anything without my parents finding out. I was in trouble a lot." She said with a smile. "However, I will always have someone be there for me. Never a shortage on love."

"I have never been to Iowa. What's in Iowa?" Lacey asked. "All I know is there is a lot of corn there."

"There is definitely more than corn there." Raina said with a smile.

"It's actually very nice out there. Matt and I have done the Ragbrai race through there a couple of times."

"Ragbrai?" Lacey asked, confused.

"It's a bike ride through Iowa. They bike from one side of the state to the other. Takes about 7 days." Raina explained.

"People are crazy. Sounds like something I would love to do." Lacey said with a smile.

"It's fun. Bike all day, party all night." Beth said.

"I've done parts of it, but not the whole thing." Raina said. "I do have cousins that do it every year."

"Where would you have the wedding?" Beth asked.

"There's a church in town that everyone in my family has gotten married in." Raina said. "But knowing me, and how I like to be outside the box, I would love to get married at my aunt and uncles winery. Outside, in their huge yard. And then have the party outside as well, under tents. That would be perfect."

"That sounds so nice." Beth said.

"There are wineries in Iowa?" Lacey asked, laughing.

Raina smiled.

"My aunt and uncle make the best wine in the Midwest."

"You know what we should do? We should go dress shopping. I bet that would jumpstart the wedding planning." Beth suggested.

"Ooh, we should do that!" Lacey's eyes got wide with excitement.

"That would be something that I would like to do when I lose some more baby fat." Raina said, rubbing her stomach.

"You look great for just having a baby two months ago."

"Thanks, but I want to work off some more of this belly, and then I'll be happy. Plus, my breasts look amazing right now, and I know that won't be true when it is time to actually wear the dress."

The girls laughed at the comment.

"Seriously, look at these things. I thought my boobs looked good before, but damn." She said, grabbing her breasts while looking down at them.

"I heard pregnancy does that." Lacey said, smiling.

"It sure does." Raina responded, shaking her head. "Too bad they don't always look like this."

"Anyway, in a month, we will go dress shopping then. We will make a girls day of it. Didn't you say you will be having a couple of friends from Florida coming to visit you next month?"

"Yeah. I can't wait." Raina said with a smile.

"Then when they are in town, we are going. I made the decision for you." Lacey said.

Raina smiled.

"I am kind of excited now." She said. "I need to get my ass working out."

Raina heard her phone ring in her purse, and she went to get it out. She smiled when she saw it was a text from Crosby.

"What?" Beth and Lacey asked at the same time.

"Crosby just texted me that he missed his girls." Raina said with a grin.

"You two make me sick, ya' know that?" Lacey asked.

"Can Crosby give our husbands some lessons? I wish Matt was more like that. I never get a text, unless it is for me to bring something home on my way home from work."

Raina laughed.

"Mike's idea of a romantic night is pizza and beer in bed watching a movie, and then ending it with a Dutch oven."

Raina busted out laughing.

"You can't be serious." Beth asked, laughing.

"Okay, it isn't that bad, but you get the idea." Lacey said with a smile.

Raina smiled at her, setting her napkin on her plate. They quickly paid their bills, and then walked outside the restaurant.

"I will see you guys later." Raina said, smiling at them.

"Sounds like a plan to us. You need to set a date for the wedding. It is time to start getting the details planned." Beth suggested.

"Yes, ma'am." She replied with a smile.

Raina went to her car, which she made a face at when she got to it. She was sad that she hadn't done anything to it since having the baby. It looked half done to her, and she was almost embarrassed to drive it around. Nobody understood why, but she didn't care.

Raina quickly strapped Kylie in her seat. She was awake by then, full of smiles as she sucked on her fingers. Raina smiled at her daughter, making sure that every strap was tightly fastened in its right place. She then got into the driver's seat and started the car.

She quickly drove home, wanting to get back to see Crosby. She waited at a red light, a car in front of her, singing softly to the music, listening to Kylie cooing in the back. She glanced in her rearview mirror at Kylie, who was happily entertaining herself in her seat.

The car in front of her went, and Raina put her car into gear, following in its lead. It was then that she saw the car ahead of her floor it all of a sudden, and she also heard tires screeching, trying to stop. Before she could figure out what was going on, she felt her car start to spin twice before coming to a complete stop. She sat there in her car for a moment, trying to figure out what happened, when Kylie's crying broke her out of her trance.

"Kylie!" Raina screamed, trying to get herself out of her seatbelt. After the second try, she finally got it off. She threw the door open, then went to the backseat to bring Kylie out. She took her car seat out of the car, setting her down on the ground, checking her over. She didn't want to take her out of the seat, in case something was wrong.

"I am so sorry." Someone said, coming up to her.

"Get the fuck away from me right now." She warned.

"Is she okay?" He persisted.

"I don't know. If you want to be helpful, please call 911."

The guy did what he was told, afraid of what the angry Raina may do to him. Raina softly tried to console the crying baby, but nothing seemed to be helping.

"The ambulance is on the way." The guy said.

"What were you thinking!" Raina screamed.

"I was stupid. I wasn't paying attention. I thought the light was still green."

"How is it that one car goes through ahead of me okay, and then you hit me? I mean, how long could your light be red? Are you a moron?" She was fuming by this point.

"I know. I am so sorry."

Raina could hear the sirens in the background, and she went to her car to grab her cell phone. She immediately called Crosby.

"Hey, babe. You two on your way home yet?" He asked.

"Crosby, I need you to meet us."

"What, why?"

"I was in a car accident. I am fine. I want to make sure Kylie is okay. Can you come down here?"

"Definitely. Where are you?"

Raina hung up the phone after giving Crosby directions to where she was. After she hung up, a patrol car and an ambulance pulled up. She picked up Kylie, going over to them.

"I just want to make sure she is okay. She keeps crying, and I can't get her to calm down."

The paramedic took Kylie from Raina, and the cop pulled Raina aside to get her side of what happened. He took her license, insurance, and registration, and then left her alone to tend to Kylie.

"Ina, where is she?" Crosby asked, running up to her.

"She's in the ambulance." Raina said, turning towards where the paramedics were tending to her daughter.

"She's going to be okay." Crosby said, bringing Raina in his arms, kissing her forehead.

"The asshole ran a red light." Raina cried.

Crosby glanced over at the guy who hit Raina, who looked visibly upset by what he did.

"Is he drunk?" He questioned.

Raina shrugged her shoulders, stepping away from him.

"He doesn't seem drunk. But I don't know." She said.

"Ma'am. Can you come here?" One of the paramedics asked.

Raina's stomach was in knots, expecting bad news. She walked up to them, and realized at that point that Kylie wasn't crying anymore.

"She is doing fine. She was securely strapped into her carseat, and you have all the protective equipment in the seat with her. Her head can't move an inch in this carseat even if she wanted too."

Raina let out a huge sigh of relief. She looked at Kylie, who was all smiles again. Raina took her daughter into her arms, holding her tightly.

"Thank God." Crosby said under his breath.

It was then when Raina saw her car. She started to walk towards it, and Crosby knew exactly at that point what was going to happen. He quickly took Kylie from her as she went up to her car.

"My car!" She screamed. The front of her car was completely smashed in, and there was a dent on the side of the car where her car came to a stop, right back into the front of the other cars bumper.

The guy who hit her wouldn't go near Raina at that point. He could see the anger in her eyes, and felt he was safer at a distance.

"It's totaled!" She cried. "My baby is totaled!"

"You don't know that for sure." Crosby said, trying to console her.

"It's not worth fixing! I know it isn't! I built most of it!" She cried.

"This just means it's time for a new project." Crosby said with a small smile.

"Would you like me to call a tow truck?" The officer asked.

Raina covered her face with her hands, her head pounding at that point. She couldn't believe how pissed off she was at that point.

"I want to drive my baby." She said, leaning against her car.

Raina eventually fished her camera out of her purse and started taking pictures of the damage for the insurance company. She knew they would take their own set of pictures, but she wanted some of the scene of the accident. They stayed with the car until the tow truck showed up. The other car in the accident didn't need to be towed, which angered Raina more, but she decided to let it go. She was happy to find out the guy wasn't drunk, but that didn't mean that she wanted to speak to him at all. He ended up with a ticket, and was sent on his way.

Crosby drove the three of them home after the tow truck got Raina's car on the back of it. Raina watched her car leave with tears in her eyes.

"It'll be okay." Crosby said, looking over at her as they drove home.

"I know, it just sucks." She responded. "I loved that car."

"Just be happy that you two are okay."

"I am very happy that we are okay. Don't get me wrong. I praise God that we are okay. However, that car is my pride and joy. I put so much time into that thing. I live and breathe that thing."

"We will have to go and find you a new car then."

"I need to get a job if I am going to take on a new car." Raina said, shaking her head.

"We can share mine for now. I mean, we really only need one car for over half the year anyway, since I'll be fishing."

Raina nodded, looking out her window.

"So, I've been thinking." He said, grabbing her hand.

"What?" She asked, glancing over at him. She was happy to get the thought of him leaving again out of her head.

"How about we get married next May." He suggested, smiling at her.

She watched him, a smile crossing her face slowly.

"You want to set a date?" She asked.

"Definitely. Kylie will be a year old by then. Old enough to spend a long weekend at grandma and grandpa's house if needed…" He trailed off, giving her a sly smile. He pulled up to their house at that point, parking the car.

Raina leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"I love that idea." She whispered to him, smiling at him. She already couldn't wait.

* * *

There you have it. Please review! Will try to get another chapter up soon :)


	33. Chapter 33

Another day, another update. Sorry, again, for the lack of updates. I had to go out of town last minute for a funeral, and just got back today. I'm exhausted, but wanted to get this up for you all. Plus, I won't be able to update, again, for awhile. :(

Hope you all enjoy! Please review! LOVE them! :)

* * *

Raina stood in front of the mirror, examining herself in the wedding dress she was trying on. Beth, Lacey, Heather, and Kelly were all sitting in the chairs behind her, all silent as she stood there.

"It's not you." Kelly finally said.

"It's not." Raina said, making a face. "I thought I'd like the princess ball gown look, but I hate it."

"It doesn't do anything for your figure." Lacey agreed.

"So you want something form fitting?" The consultant asked.

"A little more than this." Raina said, making a face.

Raina left with the consultant to try on a different dress. Her friends waited impatiently, wanting to see Raina in another dress.

"I heard Raina's been wanting to go back to work." Lacey said, hinting to Beth to see if the hospital was hiring again.

"Rumor has it that someone may be getting the ax on the front desk. I hope the rumor is true, because the lady sucks. If that happens, I'll be sure to let Raina know."

"She hasn't been working this whole time?" Heather asked, curious.

"Nope. Her and Crosby have been living with just his car too, since her accident, which is driving her insane. You know her. She needs a car to be happy." Lacey said.

"I still can't believe she lost that car." Kelly shook her head at the thought.

"She was pretty depressed for a little while, but that doesn't mean she hasn't been looking for a new love."

"She thinking about getting something that is not a sporty car?" Heather asked. "Since she has the baby."

"Do you not know Raina?" Kelly asked, smiling.

Heather nodded. "You're right."

Raina then walked out in a new dress that was more form fitting than the last. It was strapless, and had beading that was right under the bust line. It draped to one side, and kept going through the skirt. Raina had a big smile on her face when she came out of the dressing room, as did all of her friends when they saw her.

"Raina, you look amazing." Heather said, watching her friend admire herself in the mirror.

"I saw it on the hanger, and didn't know what I thought of it. However, now that it is on, I don't want to take it off."

"You have to get that dress." Lacey said, not able to take her eyes off Raina. "Crosby will be floored when he sees you in this dress."

"You will be stupid to not get this dress." Beth added.

Raina watched herself in the mirror.

"It's like it's all becoming a reality." She said, not taking her eyes off her reflection.

"That is less than a year away. It's time to start cracking!" Lacey said with a big grin.

"Are you getting the dress?"

Raina nodded, tears in her eyes.

Raina's friend cheered in excitement. Raina could hardly believe that she had found her dress. She looked amazing in it, and she couldn't wait to walk down the aisle in it.

After the seamstress got Raina's measurements, the girls all headed to meet up with Crosby, Mike, Matt, and Kylie for dinner.

"Did you find a dress?" Crosby asked after giving Raina a kiss in greeting.

"I definitely did." She answered with a grin.

Crosby smiled.

"Just you wait to see her. She looks amazing in it." Lacey said to Crosby, sitting across from him.

"There is just so much to do, and no time to do it." Raina said, feeling a little stressed out just thinking about it.

"It'll go quickly, and smoothly. Just you watch." Crosby said, smiling at her.

"Easy for you to say. You leave to go salmon fishing here soon. And then shortly after that, you leave for King Crab. You won't be around for most of the stress." She said with a smile.

"You have Lacey here to help you." Mike said. "She threw together a pretty nice wedding."

"Yeah, without any help from you." Lacey said, giving her husband a look.

"You didn't like any opinions I gave."

"True." She said, smiling at him.

"Speaking of weddings, when are you and Aaron going to finally decide to get engaged?" Raina asked Kelly, who was holding a smiling Kylie.

"We never talk about it."

"You two have been together for awhile. I think it's time you get working on it." Heather said, smiling at her friend.

"I'm not ready to get married." Kelly said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't think I have heard this baby cry once since we have been here." Heather said, smiling at Kylie.

"She really is a good baby. Sleeps most of the night, and acts as if she doesn't have a worry in the world." Raina said, smiling at her daughter.

"Couldn't ask for a better daughter."

"I just know that means that I am in for a rude awakening for when it's time to have more." Raina said.

Crosby glanced over at her, but a smile crossed his face.

"You've thought about having more kids?" Beth asked, giving Raina a sly eye.

"Why not?" She asked.

"You really are going to have a herd of kids, huh?" Heather asked, smiling.

"Not at all. I always wanted at least three kids though." She said, looking at Crosby, whose arm was around her at that point.

"I like the idea of a big family." He said, nodding.

"However, if I am going to be popping out more kids, it's not happening until after the wedding, and I definitely need to have a job first."

"Speaking of which, there's a rumor at work that they may be firing one of the receptionists at work. I could put a bug in the manager's ear that you want to come back." Beth said with a smile.

"That would be amazing." Raina said, relieved with the news.

"I will definitely say something to them next time I'm there." She said, taking a sip of her drink.

"I can't believe we have to leave already tomorrow." Heather said, making a face. She was holding Kylie by this point. "I want to spend more time with Kylie."

"You definitely are having baby fever lately." Kelly said, glancing at her friend.

"Slick, don't you need to have a boyfriend before you can have a kid? Aren't you going out of order a little?" Raina asked.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't want to have one."

"You could move up here. I could introduce you to some very available men…" Lacey said, trailing off at the end.

"Is it your goal to get everyone we know to move up here?" Mike asked his wife.

"Why not?" Lacey said, shrugging her shoulder with a smile.

"I wouldn't mind you moving out here." Raina added.

"You know that will never happen." Heather said.

"Crosby once said that too." Mike nonchalantly said, sitting back in his chair.

"I think Raina said that too." Lacey pointed out.

"It is gorgeous out here." Heather mentioned.

"See, you are already warming up to the idea."

"You're going to leave me too? This is messed up." Kelly said, shaking her head.

"You should come too! The more the merrier!" Lacey said smiling.

"If Kelly is moving again, she is moving back to Jersey, not here." Raina said, smiling.

"You got that right." Kelly said, then smiled.

"When do you two leave for Iowa?" Lacey asked.

"In a few days. The day after Heather and Kelly leave." Raina said. They were driving out to Iowa, since neither wanted to fly with Kylie, to visit Raina's family, whether Raina's mom wanted her there or not. She didn't care at that point. She was excited to see her brothers, and Ronnie's new baby.

Everyone chatted through dinner before heading home. The next few days flew by, and Raina found herself at the airport saying her goodbyes to her friends. She was happy they came out to visit her, and was sad to see them go, but knew that the next day they would be starting the long drive to Iowa, which she was looking forward too.

The drive to Iowa dragged on. It took a couple days to get there, but when they finally did, Raina felt a rush of relief succumb her. Crosby pulled into Jeremy and Rachel's house, parking in the driveway. Raina saw her nephew, Seth, run off of the porch towards the car, screaming Raina's name.

"Aunt Raina, Aunt Raina! It's about time you got here!" He yelled as he ran into his aunts arms.

"I missed you little one." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Did you bring the baby?" He whispered to her, covering his mouth as if it were a secret.

"Yes I did. Want to see your new cousin?"

He nodded, smiling away.

Raina turned to Crosby, who had pulled Kylie out in her car seat of the back seat. She walked towards him, holding her nephew, who looked down at the sleeping Kylie.

"Wake up baby." Seth said softly. Raina couldn't help but smile at him.

"Where's your mom and dad?" She asked Seth.

"Mom is inside. Dad is still at work." Seth said, squirming to get out of Raina's arms. She put him down, and he grabbed Raina's hand and led her inside.

"You guys made it." Rachel said, coming up to them and giving them each a hug. "And here is sweet little Kylie. She is gorgeous."

"Thanks. Where is your little girl?"

Just then, Savannah went crawling through the kitchen, screaming with delight, chasing her brother, who was running ahead of her.

"Just follow the noise." Rachel said with a smile. Kylie woke up to the racket in the house. She just looked around the room with big eyes, wondering where she was.

"Come here." Raina said, picking Kylie up from her carseat. Rachel then took Kylie from her, who just watched her aunt with her big blue eyes.

"She sure is curious." Rachel said.

"Yes she is. She has to see everything that is going on. But she warms up to people very fast. She hardly ever cries."

"Can you tell her to teach Savannah that?" Rachel joked.

"I'm hurt." Someone said, walking into the house at that point. Raina watched as Ronnie walked into the living room where they all were at.

"What?" Raina asked, smiling at her brother.

"Why do you never come to see me first?" He asked, but then gave his sister a hug.

"Do I ever?" She asked, giving him a big hug.

"Where's my new niece?" He asked, then looked at the baby Rachel was holding. "Look at that hair! She looks so much older than Noelle, and she is 5 months younger than her."

"I'm sorry."

"He's just mad because his baby is bald." Rachel whispered, then smiled.

Ronnie took Kylie from Rachel, and Kylie just giggled as she watched her uncle make faces at her.

Before long, Jeremy had come home and joined in the conversation everyone was having in the living room.

"I have to go, sis, but dinner is at my house tonight. We are grilling out."

"Rents going to be there?" She asked.

"Does it matter?" He asked.

"Yes. I need to know if I should prepare myself or not."

"Then you better prepare yourself." He said with a smile, then left the house.

Crosby grabbed Raina's hand and kissed the back of it, and she smiled at him. She knew dinner was going to be interesting.

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There you have it. Please review. I will try to get an update in as soon as I can. :)


	34. Chapter 34

I feel awful for the lack of updates. But here it is, finally. I hope you all enjoy. I hope to update again after the weekend, but then I have to work 14 days straight, so updates may be scarce again. :( Never thought I'd ever be this busy! hehe.

Here you go! :)

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Raina sat on her brothers back porch holding Noelle, who was happily playing with a toy on her aunts lap. Jeremy was holding Kylie, who was watching everyone around the table with wide eyes.

"There's my girl." Neil said, walking up on deck, smiling at Raina.

"Hi Dad." She said, handing Noelle off to Crosby. She stood up to give her dad a hug.

"Where is my new granddaughter?" He asked, looking around.

"Jeremy has her." She said, turning towards her brother.

"She looks just like you as a baby." He said, smiling. He took Kylie from Jeremy, then smiled down at her. She was sucking on her hand happily, not at all scared about the many people holding her that she had never met before.

Just then, Raina watched as her mother walk up on the deck. Cathrine didn't acknowledge Raina's presence, just went to sit down next to Ronnie.

"Hi, Mom." Raina said, trying to break the tension that immediately took over the gathering.

"Raina." She acknowledged her daughter.

"It's great to see you again. Kylie missed her grandmother."

"I missed her too. I would have stayed longer last visit, if I actually felt welcome."

"Mom, of course you are welcome. You always are."

"Hard to feel welcome if you daughter does nothing but keep secrets and lie to her."

Raina rolled her eyes at the comment, deciding to not comment on what she said.

"How about we eat." Rachel suggested, bringing out the lasagna that she had made. Hillary was following close behind with the salad and bread.

"Sounds good to me." Jeremy said, looking over at his sister. He mouthed the words 'sorry' to her, and all she did was shrug her shoulders.

"How about we leave after we are done." Raina suggested to Crosby quietly as they ate. The tension at the table was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"Whatever you want to do." He said. He helped prop the bottle back up that Kylie was drinking in her carseat with her baby blanket. She was falling asleep in her chair at that point, tired from the day's activities.

"So, any other secrets you are hiding from me?" Cathrine asked her daughter as she ate.

"No, nothing at all, mother." Raina was annoyed by this point.

"So you aren't already married, and didn't tell me?"

"Definitely not, mother." It was taking everything in her to not blow up at her mother at that point.

"I mean, you do whatever you want as it is, so who's to say that you won't invite me to the wedding."

"Of course you will be at the wedding. Why wouldn't you?"

"You don't want me around. You never do."

"Mom, don't be such a bitch." Ronnie said to her quietly, shaking his head.

"Don't talk to me like that." She warned.

"You are acting like a child. This is why she didn't want to tell you about the engagement. She knew you would, well, be you." Jeremy commented.

Raina grabbed Crosby's hand and squeezed it. She was getting angrier at that point, and needed comfort.

"I don't even know my own daughter anymore, which is fine. It's clear she doesn't want me in her life, so I will make it easy for her. I won't be in it."

"So, it's going to be like that, huh Mom?" Raina asked, shaking her head.

"It's what you want, isn't it?"

"Did I say that once?" She asked, crossing her arms. "I was planning on telling you about the engagement, after you chilled the fuck out about me being pregnant."

"I would have gotten over your pregnancy if you told me you were engaged." She stated bluntly.

"And if I would have told you, what would you have done?" Raina asked. By this point, everyone sitting on the deck was completely silent, afraid to get in the middle of the crossfire.

"Taken you two to the courthouse. That baby should have been born with married parents."

"Who gives a shit, Mom?" Raina yelled.

"Raina, I really don't think that you should curse with Seth and Savannah around. Savannah is starting to repeat things she hears." Jeremy suggested, but bit his tongue after Raina shot him a look.

"You are the only one who has a problem with the fact that I am not married. It's not like Crosby and I aren't planning on getting married. It's not like he ran off after finding out I was pregnant. He has been there, one hundred percent of the time."

Cathrine just sat in her seat, her eyes set on Raina and Crosby, who was wishing he was anywhere but where he was at that point.

"Don't you want us to have a real wedding? Where Dad walks me down the aisle and give me away? A big party afterwards. I mean, I am your only daughter. Don't you want to see me in a wedding dress?"

"I just wish you would do things right for a change." She said unhappily.

"I am doing things the right way. The right way for us. It's not like I went out and planned on getting pregnant before getting married. Things happen, Mom. I just wish, for once, you could be happy for me."

"I would be, if you weren't such a bad image for this family." She snapped.

Raina's mouth dropped.

"Cathrine, that is enough." Neil said, stepping in at that point.

"No, it's not enough. She needs to hear this. You are an embarrassment to this family. You are the only one that has been divorced, and had not one, but two children out of wedlock. Haven't I raised you right? Where did I go wrong?"

"Mom, what the hell is wrong with you?" Ronnie angrily asked.

"Why do you treat her like this?" Jeremy angrily added.

"It's alright." Raina said, taking a deep breath. She set her napkin down on top of her plate, and then stood up. "If that is how you feel mother, then fine. Consider yourself without a daughter. It seems that is what you have always wanted, and I am finally giving you what you want."

Raina walked away from the table at that point, heading towards the car.

"Mom, go after her." Jeremy said, dumbfounded by what was happening at that point.

Cathrine ignored his comment, going back to eat.

"Yeah, I'm going to go." Crosby said, feeling awkward at this point.

"Crosby, sit. Cathrine, if you don't go after her, I will, and believe me, she will be the one who stays in our house tonight, not you." Neil angrily said.

"Then I guess I am staying at Karen's house." Cathrine said, standing up. She then disappeared inside Ronnie's house. Neil stood up as well and followed his wife inside the house.

The table was completely silent. Even the kids were completely silent, which was a rare thing to come by. Kylie was awake from all the yelling, but didn't make a sound from her carseat as she sucked on her bottle that was completely empty.

"Should I go get her?" Crosby asked quietly, breaking the silence.

"No, that's more than likely where Dad went." Ronnie said, looking in the house.

Just then, they all heard a car start, and then drive off. Ronnie stood up and ran in the house to sneak a peak in the front to see what was going on. He saw that his parents car was gone, but Neil was outside hugging Raina, who was crying in his arms. Once he knew that his sister was being comforted, he headed back outside to where everyone was anxiously waiting for his return.

"Well?" Hillary asked.

"Mom is gone. Dad is with Raina." He explained.

It wasn't long before Neil and Raina came back up on the deck. Raina's eyes were all red and puffy, but she managed a smile as she walked out on deck.

"You know we don't think that you are an embarrassment, right?" Jeremy asked his sister.

She nodded, taking her seat back next to Crosby. He immediately put his arm around her, bringing her towards him. She rested her head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath.

"Mom will come around. She always does." Ronnie said.

"It doesn't matter. I don't know if I can ever get what she said out of my head." Raina's voice cracked a little, and she wiped her face where some of her tears were still sitting.

"You are always a big part of this family. You are my little princess, and always will be." Neil stated, going back to his dinner.

Raina smiled at her dad. She was relieved that she had at least his support.

After dinner, Raina and Crosby said bye to everyone, and then headed over to Raina's parents house, which is where they were staying at during their stay. Crosby quickly set up Kylie's travel crib while Raina changed her diaper.

"I'm sorry you had to sit through that." Raina said to him quietly.

"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault."

"I know. I wish I could say that I should be used to it, but I'm not."

Raina finished changing Kylie, and then picked up the half asleep baby, giving her a gentle kiss. Crosby did the same, smiling at his daughter as Raina laid her in her crib. She then quickly changed into some shorts and a tank top, and then crawled into her old bed next to Crosby.

"Thank you for not running for the hills after today." She said to him softly as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm just getting insight on how you'll be when we get older." He joked, as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Funny." She said with a smile.

"I hope she comes around though. I'd hate to leave with you two on bad terms."

Raina sighed.

"We'll always be like this. It has always been like this. She will never change. I don't want Kylie around it though. She doesn't deserve to be around a grandmother who looks down on her mother."

"What do you want to do then?"

"I want to spend all day tomorrow with my family, but I want to leave after that. I know we were going to be here for a week, but I can't stay here like this."

He nodded, kissing her forehead.

"Then we leave in two days?"

She nodded. She couldn't believe how big of a nightmare the trip had turned out to be. She was looking forward to seeing her extended family tomorrow, but was looking forward to going home more now than ever.

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There you have it! Please review! Love them :)


	35. Chapter 35

Here you go. About a week late, but I have it finally on the computer and up on here. Hope you guys enjoy! Keep the reviews coming!

Also, have the first chapter of my next story "Praying for a Miracle" up. Don't forget to check that out. :)

Thanks to all of you that have been reviewing so far! You guys know who you are! :)

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The next morning, after breakfast, Raina, Crosby, and Kylie headed over to her grandparents house. When they pulled up, she saw her grandfather sitting on the porch with his brother, Karl. It was something they did on a daily basis. They hardly ever talked to each other while they sat on the porch, except for when someone walked by. They would then talk about the latest gossip about that person, and would repeat themselves often.

"Hey, my granddaughter is here." Alberth said, smiling at the sight of his daughter walking up the sidewalk to the house.

"Hi Grandpa." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek in greeting.

"Who are you?" Karl asked, looking at Crosby through his thick glasses.

"Uncle Karl. That is my fiancé, Crosby." Raina explained with a smile.

"Never heard of him." He said, looking back towards the road.

"Is this my new great grandbaby?" Al asked, looking at Kylie.

"This is Kylie." She said, picking up Kylie from her carseat. She handed her over to her grandfather, who held her proudly.

"When did you get one of those?" Karl asked loudly, looking over at Kylie.

"She's a couple months old now." Raina explained, smiling at her great uncle.

"She sure is a happy baby." Al said, smiling down at Kylie.

"She doesn't have a care in the world. She definitely has been a very easy baby so far."

"Probably means we'll have our hands full when she grows up." Crosby said with a smile.

"Oh, now I know you. You're the guy that knocked up my great niece." Karl said loudly, not even paying attention to the rest of the conversation.

"Yes, Uncle Karl. That's exactly who he is." Raina said, trying to stifle a smile.

"I thought you divorced him!" Karl retorted, sitting back in his chair.

"No, Karl, that was Troy." Al explained.

"Oh, you're not Troy?" He asked Crosby.

"No, that's not me."

"Oh, then I don't know you."

Raina covered her smile with her hand, shaking her head.

Just then, Raina's grandmother walked out of the house.

"I thought I heard some voices that weren't these two chatter heads." She said, coming out with a smile.

"Hi Grandma." Raina said, giving her a hug in greeting.

"How are you? I heard you had quite an event last night at dinner."

"This is why I hate this town." Raina said, shaking her head with a smile.

"Come inside. Let me see this great grandbaby of mine." Margarete took Kylie from her husband, and then the four of them went inside.

"There is some fresh lemonade in the refrigerator if you would like some." She offered.

Raina glanced over at Crosby, who nodded, and she went and poured them both a glass of lemonade.

"Have you talked to Mom?" Raina asked her grandmother.

"Personally, no. Karen called me last night and told me what was going on. She knew I would see you today, and thought I should talk to you."

"About what? Mom's the one who is ashamed of me."

"Your mother is a complex woman. She has always been hard headed. She was definitely one of my more difficult children growing up."

"She isn't any easier to deal with as an adult either." Raina said, taking a sip of her lemonade.

"She has a hard time expressing her feelings. She's still hurt by everything that happened."

Raina gave her a confused look.

"With you loosing Avery, and then disappearing."

"Wait, she blames me for that?"

"Not directly. She knows it wasn't your fault for the loss of Avery. She's more upset with the way you handled things."

Raina glanced over at Crosby, who was just watching Kylie on Marg's lap.

"She just doesn't know how to handle the fact that you don't need her anymore. You have grown into such a fine young woman. She's just sad that you don't need her help."

"She has a very bad way of showing it."

"You and I both know this. You just need to talk to her."

"I've tried that, Grandma. I am supposively this huge embarrassment to the family."

"You are not an embarrassment. I promise you that. She has said to me more than once that she is very proud of you."

"Why can't she say that to me?"

"When has your mother said anything nice to anybody?"

Raina nodded, agreeing.

"Talk to her. Make her talk to you. It'll be worth it in the end." Margarete said, smiling at her granddaughter.

Raina sighed.

"So, when is this wedding of yours?" She asked, changing the subject.

Raina smiled over at Crosby.

"Second weekend in May." Raina said, smiling.

"Where at?"

"We're thinking of having the pastor do the ceremony at the winery, and then have the reception there as well."

"Not going to get married in the church?" She questioned.

"No. You know me. I can't do the same thing that everyone else has done. I like to be different."

She nodded, smiling.

"You really want to be a part of this family?" Marg asked Crosby with a smile. "Even after what happened last night with her mother?"

Crosby nodded with a smile.

"You must really love this girl. Her mother will always be this way. It'll be about something different, but will always be this way."

"I know, but she is worth everything." He answered, smiling at Raina.

After spending some time with her grandparents, they headed over to Jeremy and Rachel's house. There was going to be a big cook-out at the winery that night where a bunch of the family was going to get together so that Raina and Crosby could see everyone, and so that they could all meet Kylie. "Talk to Mom?" Raina asked her brother.

Jeremy shook his head.

"I don't really want to talk to her after what she said to you."

"Don't jeopardize your relationship with our mother over me." Raina said to him. "It's not worth it."

"We're you not there? What she said to you was unacceptable."

Raina just shrugged her shoulders.

Just then, Raina heard the phone ring in the house. She watched as Seth ran to answer the phone.

"Hello?" He said into the big phone. "Yeah….yeah….yeah…"

"Who is it?" Rachel asked her son.

"It's for Ina." He said, handing the phone over to his mom.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Aunt Kay Kay." He said, then ran off.

Raina gave Rachel a questioned look.

"It's Aunt Karen." Jeremy answered.

Raina took the phone from Rachel.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked.

"Your mother has agreed to talk to you before the dinner tonight. Wanted to see if you wanted to come over."

"She couldn't call me herself?"

"Do you really want to analyze this?" She asked. "Or fix it?"

"Fine, I'll be over." She said, then hung up the phone.

"You are not going over there." Jeremy said.

"Things can't stay the way they are." She said, tossing the phone to him. "I'm going."

Raina stood up and put her shoes on quickly.

"You sure you want to do this?" Crosby asked her, walking up to her.

"I don't, but I need too." She said. "I'll be back."

She quickly left the house and got into the car. She then drove down the street to her Aunt Karen's house. When she arrived, she walked inside and immediately saw her mother sitting at one end of the kitchen table.

"Thank you for coming." Karen said, smiling at her niece.

"Hi Aunt Karen." She said, giving her a hug.

"I'll be outside if you need me." She said, then walked outside, leaving her alone with her mother.

"You wanted to talk?" Raina asked, sitting on the other side of the table from her. She didn't want to sit too close to her.

"I guess I do." She responded, clasping her hands together on top of the table.

"I'm sorry." Raina started by saying.

"For what?"

"For anything that you are mad at me about. It's why you treat me the way you do, isn't it? You're mad at me for Avery. You're mad at me for leaving. You're mad at me for never calling and visiting. Am I right?"

Cathrine didn't respond to what she said.

"I wasn't happy here. You know I was not happy here. And I was not happy with Troy either. Did you really expect me to stay in a relationship I wasn't happy in? Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Of course I do." She said after a long silence.

"Mom, I am happier than I have ever been in my life right now. I am living in a city that I absolutely love. I may have a job soon that I am so very excited to start. I have a beautiful daughter with a man who makes me happier than I ever thought was possible. Yes, I do wish that Avery was still here. I wish that with all of my heart. She is in my heart, and always will be in my heart, but I can't just sit around anymore crying over something I can't change. I wish you could do the same."

Cathrine shook her head.

"I don't know why you have such a hard time with this. You have admitted on more than one occasion that you liked Crosby. And you know he's definitely a keeper if he can sit through one of our nasty arguments, and hasn't run for the hills."

"He is a good guy." She agreed.

"See, we can agree on some things." Raina said.

Cathrine didn't look at her.

"I am going to go. Just think about what I've said. I will see you later tonight at the dinner."

Raina stood up, grabbing her purse. She started to leave, but then turned back.

"I forgot. I brought these to you. You had forgotten them when you were in Seattle, and I thought I'd give them to you." She said, bringing out an envelope. She set them down on the table in front of her mother, and then left.

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There you have it! Please leave a review. Even those that don't normally review! I want to know what you guys think as well! :)


	36. Chapter 36

Sorry for the lack of updates. It has been crazy busy here. Got a 2nd job, which means less time for myself. Plus, I am leaving on a 2 week vacation this week to go back home to visit family and friends, so the lack of udpates will continue, but I wanted to get this chapter up before I left. If it helps, it's kind of a longer chapter. Keep the reviews coming though! They are music to my ears! It will make my vacation even more perfect! :)

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Later that evening, Raina and Crosby drove to the winery where the family dinner was being held. When they got there, Crosby parked the car and started to get out, but Raina didn't follow.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"We don't have to go in there." She said, looking up at the house where everyone was at.

"How come?" He asked, closing his door back up.

"I was hoping for a quiet trip back home. Nothing like we have been through in the last 24 hours."

"Do you expect anything different from your mother?" He asked with a small smile, trying to cheer Raina up.

Raina leaned over and kissed him, lingering on his lips.

"Thank you so much for being so great through all of this."

"Of course. For better or for worse, right?"

She smiled at him.

"We aren't married yet."

"Might as well be. Just because we aren't married yet, we will be. I think the same rules apply."

She kissed him again.

"I agree. Now let's go home."

"No, let's get in there. They all are waiting for you."

Raina made a face. "Do we have to do this?"

"We don't have too, but you will regret it later if we don't."

"I hate it when you're right." She sighed, opening her door to get out. She went to the backseat and grabbed Kylie's carseat, and then the three of them headed up to where everyone was. They were immediately greeted by everyone in Raina's family, wanting to get a look at Kylie.

"So, we meet again." Raina's cousin, Alex, said, walking up to Crosby and her.

"Hey, it's your Bullshit friend." Raina said with a smile.

"We never did get to finish our game." Alex stated, crossing his arms.

"We never did, did we?" Crosby said.

"I think it's time for a rematch." Alex said. "Meet me over there in five minutes. I will get a game started."

Raina watched as Alex walked away, and she smiled at Crosby.

"What?" He asked.

"You must have been winning last game. He never holds a grudge like this over a game, unless he was losing."

"I may bring down the bullshit master here." Crosby said, cracking his knuckles as if he was getting ready for a battle.

"I may have to watch this one." Raina said.

"I think you should play too. I want to beat you in this game as well."

"Fine, bring it on."

They joined in the game of bullshit that Alex got started, Raina leaving Kylie with Jeremy.

"So, Raina, rumor has it you want the wedding here." Her Aunt Rebecca said as she watched the card game.

"Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about it today, but somehow I got stuck in this game. Two fours." She said, putting her cards down.

"Bullshit." Crosby said.

Raina made a face, taking the pile of cards and putting them in her hand.

"Yes, let's get rid of the weaklings early in the game." Alex commented.

"You watch yourself little cousin of mine. I know where you sleep at night."

He just smiled at her.

"What were you thinking of doing?" Rebecca asked her.

"I wanted to do the ceremony outside in that big patch of grass over there that is surrounded by the vineyard. And then instead of going inside for the ceremony, have tents outside the winery for the reception."

Rebecca nodded, deep in thought.

"I think I can make that happen." Rebecca said with a smile.

"We'll be there to help, of course."

"Don't you worry about that. You know that we'd love to help you with this." She said.

"Ina, it's your turn." Alex whined.

"What do I have? Fours?" She asked.

"That was last time. You have ten's now." He said.

She set down the one ten she had, and nobody called bullshit, which she wished they would. For once, she wasn't lying.

"When is it?" Rebecca asked, watching as everyone at the table took their turns.

"Second weekend in May is what we're thinking."

"Beautiful time of the year."

The two started to discuss some of the details while Raina half played the game. Before she knew it, most of the stack was in her hand.

"I thought you were going to kick my ass?" Crosby said to Raina with a grin.

"I'm off my game a little. I got this." She said, smiling. "Alright, I'm two's, right?"

Everyone at the table just watched her.

"Four two's." She said, setting the cards down.

"I'm afraid to bullshit her. She has most of the deck."

"Yeah, Alex, don't even bother putting your cards down, and take the pile. I know you have no three's."

"This was her strategy all along. This is not fair." Alex protested.

"You forgot how good I am at this game, huh little cousin of mine."

Alex stuck his tongue out at her, picking up the pile of cards and sorting it through his hand.

She watched as her grandfather and a couple other cousins of hers go, and she watched Crosby with a smile.

"What?" He asked, glancing at her above his cards.

"How many you going to say you have?" She asked him, waiting.

"One seven." He said.

"Bullshit." She said happily.

He picked up the pile that laid in the middle, watching Raina.

"Three eights." She happily said, setting the cards down.

"You know, nobody likes it when you do that." Alberth said, watching his granddaughter.

"You all love me. You know you do."

"I'm going to try your strategy one of these times." Alex said, putting down his cards. Raina happily watched everyone else go, but fail miserably at being able to get their cards down, since everyone was lying.

"Should I even try?" Crosby asked when he saw Raina smiling at him again.

"If you want." She said sweetly, rubbing his leg a little.

He opted to just pick up the cards that were in the middle of the table.

"And I would like to just say I am out." Raina said, putting the last of her cards down.

"How did you do that?" Crosby asked.

"I knew who took all of my cards, and I just happened to have the right cards at the right moment." She said, standing up. "Little cousin, don't be sad. You just can't beat the master."

"I thought you said he was the master at this game." Crosby asked.

"I did, until he plays me." She said with a grin, then gave him a kiss. "I am going to get something to drink. Want something?"

"Sure, I'll try whatever."

Raina walked away from the Bullshit table, which was getting ready to start up again without her. She went over to where the drinks were, and poured herself a glass of her aunt and uncles white wine, and then got a beer for Crosby. She turned to head back to where the game was going on when she ran into her mother.

"Oh, hey." She said, stepping back.

"Hey." Cathrine said, watching Raina.

"I'm glad you still came." She said, taking a sip of her wine.

"I had nothing else to do tonight." She said, pouring herself a glass of wine.

"Kylie will be happy to see you." Raina said, watching her.

Cathrine nodded.

Raina started to walk away, but Cathrine stopped her.

"Thank you." She said to her.

"For what?"

"For bringing the pictures of Avery. It means a lot to me."

Raina nodded, smiling at her.

"I know. That's why I wanted to make sure you got them."

She nodded.

"And you aren't an embarrassment to this family. I should never have said that."

Raina smiled.

"I know." She replied.

Cathrine, at that point, walked up and gave her daughter a hug. Raina at first didn't know what to do, but then hugged her back. She saw Jeremy and Ronnie at that point, and both smiled at her when they saw the sight.

"I love you very much." Cathrine said. Raina, at that moment, realized she was crying.

"I love you too, Mom."

"Any help you need for the wedding planning, you just let me know. It's the least I could do."

"Thank you."

Cathrine then walked away, and Raina took a deep breath, trying to absorb everything that just happened. She then headed over to where Crosby was sitting, setting the drinks down on the table.

"Keep the drinks back. It disrupts my focus." Alex said, concentrating hard on his cards.

"He's not too happy you beat him." Crosby said to her quietly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"My mother just apologized to me." She said to him quietly.

"She did?" He asked, turning to look at her.

"In her own words. She didn't actually say she was sorry, but she actually did say that she loved me."

"Whoa, that's a big step." He said, turning back to the game.

"Hey, we got a babysitter for tonight if you guys want to go and get a drink after dinner." Ronnie said, walking up to his sister and Crosby.

"Who's the babysitter?" Raina curiously asked.

"Mom and Dad. They have wanted to spend more time with the grandchildren. Why not tonight?" He said with an evil grin.

"Do you think they can handle two infants, Seth, and Savannah?"

"If it makes you feel better, Aunt Karen and Uncle Mark will be with them."

"Yeah, may be for the best." Raina said. "Want to go get a drink after dinner Crosby?"

He just nodded, concentrating on his game.

"What's up with Alex?" He asked, pointing to his cousin.

"He's mad because I kicked his ass in Bullshit." Raina said with a smile.

"The king was dethroned by the queen." Ronnie said happily.

"Shush." Alex said angrily, giving Ronnie a look that would kill if able.

Before long, dinner was officially served, and by that time, Alex had officially won the game.

"Let's bust this joint." Jeremy said after dinner.

"Let me say bye to Kylie first." She said, going over to where Kylie was at. Karen was holding her at this point, and she was still happily enjoying everything that was going on.

"You guys heading out?" Karen asked, smiling.

"Yeah. I wanted to say bye to my baby girl." She said, picking her up and giving her a few kisses.

"She should have a few bottles in her diaper bag, and then there should be some in the fridge at your house." Crosby said to Cathrine and Neil.

"Sounds good to us."

"We shouldn't be too late." Raina said, holding Kylie close to her.

"Ina, just go. We got this." Neil said, smiling at his daughter.

Raina nodded, handing Kylie over to her dad.

"We'll only be right down the street from her." Crosby said, wrapping his arms around Raina's shoulders from behind her.

"I know, but she's not with me." She said, making a face.

"It'll be okay." Jeremy said, laughing at his sister.

Raina reluctantly left Kylie and everyone piled into a couple cars and headed to the one bar in town. Everyone ordered their drinks and then sat down at one of the few tables inside.

"I couldn't tell you the last time we have been out like this together without our kids around us." Jeremy said, his arm resting behind Rachel's chair.

"It definitely has been awhile. I've missed you guys so much." Raina said, smiling at them. Her smile left her face when she saw a couple guys enter the bar. "Oh come on, seriously?"

Everyone turned to the door, and Ronnie made a face at the sight.

"Maybe he'll leave you alone?"

"Well, well, well, look who's in town." Troy said, walking up to the table.

"Well, well, well, look at who was let out of the barn this evening." Raina said, taking a long drink of the beer she had in front of her.

"And I see Crosby is still around. I'm surprised she hasn't driven you crazy yet."

"Troy, please just go. Why do you have to make a scene every time you see her." Jeremy asked.

"Why not? It brings me enjoyment."

"Glad I could be here for you then." Raina said, raising her glass before taking another drink.

"So, what brings you to town?" Troy asked as Kyle gave him a beer.

"Visiting family." Raina said, smiling at her brothers.

"No special occasion?" He asked. "It's rare you come back just to visit family."

"We wanted to meet Kylie." Ronnie said, then got wide eyed after what he said.

"Who's Kylie?" He asked, curious.

Raina turned to Crosby, taking his hand.

"Our daughter." She said, not really wanting to tell him the news.

Troy's smile left his face slowly at the sound of the news.

"Oh." He said, nodding. "So let me guess, knowing your mother, you two are married now."

"Not married…" She said, trailing off.

"But engaged." He said.

Raina didn't say anything, just watched him.

"Alright. Nice seeing you all." He said, setting his beer down on the table, and then headed out of the bar.

"Troy, wait." She said, standing up. She chased after him, cutting him off up the block a little.

"I'm happy for you, really Ina." He said. "Just let me be, please."

"No, I'm sorry. This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

"I don't see you calling me to just chat. How did you think I was going to find out? At least I heard it from you, and not down the chain of small town chatter."

"Troy…"

"No, it's fine. You are happy, right? That's all that matters."

"No, it's not. I'm sorry for how everything went. I really didn't mean for how everything turned out. But can you honestly tell me that you were happy being with me?"

"You were the only one I was ever with. You were the only thing I ever knew. I didn't know anything but being with you. I was happy." He said, shaking his head. "I knew you weren't though, but I thought that if you stayed, you would eventually be happy, like me."

She sighed, looking at him.

"I should never have done that to you. It wasn't fair to you. Honestly, I don't entirely blame you for leaving."

"I did love you. I still do. It's just not the same love that you felt for me." She confessed.

"If we didn't lose Avery, do you think we still would be together right now?"

Raina shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"Losing her sped up the process, but honestly, it was going to happen sooner or later." She admitted.

He nodded, looking down at the ground.

"You can't let it all ruin your life though, Troy. It's time to move on. It has taken me awhile, but I finally have."

"Losing you two killed me inside. I don't know when I will be ready to move on."

She nodded. "I have something for you."

Raina ran inside the bar, where everyone watched her with a questioned look. She went in her purse, searching for the envelope that she had hoped to give Troy if she saw him.

"Raina, what's going on?" Crosby asked, watching her dig through her purse.

"Making things right, finally." She said, grabbing the envelope she was looking for, and then ran out of the bar quickly.

"I want you to have this." She said, holding the envelope out. He slowly took it, looking at it.

"What is it?"

"Something you should have had a long time ago." She answered.

Troy opened the envelope and took the pictures of Avery out, and his arms immediately fell at the sight of his daughter.

"I thought you destroyed these." He said softly.

"Not everything."

Troy quietly flipped through the pictures, and she saw him smile a little at the end of the stack.

"Thank you." He said after a long silence.

She nodded.

"I never meant to hurt you the way I did." She said.

"I know." He nodded.

She walked up and gave him a hug, and he held onto her tightly.

"I'm going to go. You enjoy your night." Troy said, backing away from Raina.

"You can come in and have a drink with us if you want."

He shook his head.

"No, I ruined your evening enough. You go in and be with your fiancé and family. Congratulations on the new baby and engagement. I am happy for you."

She nodded.

Troy smiled at her, and then turned to leave. She stood there for a moment, and then headed back inside the bar, taking a seat at the table next to Crosby.

"Well?" Rachel asked after Raina said nothing when she returned.

"Everything is alright." She said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Just like that?"

She nodded.

Crosby looked at her, and she leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"For putting up with my drama." She said. "I think it's over now, for awhile anyway."

"We'll consider it even, since you have to put up with my job." He said, smiling at her.

She nodded, but the smile left her face. With everything that had been going on, she almost completely forgot he was going to be leaving soon for salmon season. She knew she was going to have to find something that was going to help the time pass by faster, because she knew she would go crazy waiting for him to come home otherwise.

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There you have it. PLEASE review! They make me happier than ever! :)


	37. Chapter 37

Sorry about the lack of updates. I'm back from vacation, and hopefully my life will be slowing down enough to keep updating. Hope you all are still enjoying! :) Keep the reviews coming, I love to hear what you have to say!

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A few months later, Raina woke up and laid in bed, not wanting to get up. She heard Kylie crying through the baby monitor, more than likely hungry, but it didn't make her want to get up any faster.

She felt Crosby's arm go around her as he kissed her neck.

"Want me to get her?" He asked her groggily.

She nodded, but didn't say a word. She watched as he crawled out of bed and head down the hallway towards the baby's room. He returned with a sniffling baby a few moments later, and a bottle in hand.

"I changed her, but I think she's hungry." He said, laying her down next to Raina. Once Kylie was safely in Raina's arms, he crawled back into bed next to her. Raina got Kylie comfortable laying next to her, and then propped the bottle up, feeling Kylie.

"Do you have to work at all today?" He asked her quietly. Raina had gotten the job back at the animal hospital, which she was ecstatic about. Things were going great there, and she couldn't be happier about it.

Raina shook her head, opening her eyes to look at him.

"They knew I wanted to be home today." She said, smiling a small smile at him.

Crosby looked down at Kylie, who was falling asleep while she ate. He glanced back up at Raina, whose eyes were closed again.

"I'm hoping that if I sleep, then that would mean today will never happen." Raina said softly.

Crosby sighed, and it was then that he saw a tear fall down Raina's cheek. He reached up and wiped the tears off her face.

"It's going to be a short trip. I can just feel it." He said to her softly, moving closer to her and the baby. He set his hand on her waist, rubbing it gently.

"Can't you just fly up and meet them all there? Why do you have to drive up with them?"

"You know I can't do that."

She nodded, looking down at Kylie, holding onto her hand while trying to hold back the tears that were on the verge of falling. She found herself more upset about him leaving for King Crab season than when he left for salmon season. She didn't know why she felt that way, but she really didn't want him to leave.

"When do you have to be at the docks?" She asked him quietly. She was afraid at that point to say too much.

"In less than two hours." He said, glancing at the clock.

She nodded, biting her lower lip. Crosby leaned over and kissed her, and Raina couldn't hold the tears back anymore.

"I will come home as soon as I can." He said to her, wiping the tears away with his thumb. She nodded, forcing a smile on her face.

It wasn't long before they had to get out of bed. Raina didn't bother taking a shower that morning, and just threw her hair back in a messy bun. She threw on some jeans and a t-shirt, and then put some clothes on Kylie. Crosby had packed the evening before to make things easier for him, and had thrown his things into his car while Raina got Kylie ready.

"Ready to go?" Crosby asked her as he saw Raina and Kylie walk into the living room.

"If I said no, does that mean you get to stay?" She asked with a small smile.

"Unfortunately, no." He said.

Raina made a face, putting Kylie into her carseat. Once she was safely strapped in, Crosby carried her out into the car while she grabbed her purse and a bottle of water.

They were one of the first to arrive to the docks, and Raina pushed Kylie in her stroller to where The Wizard was docked. When they walked up, Keith and Monty came up to them with smiles.

"We finally get to meet the baby, I see." Keith said, smiling at Kylie.

"Crosby, you never took her to see them?" She asked.

Crosby made a face, as if he forgot, and threw his bag onto the boat.

"Hi Florence." Raina said, saying hi to Keith's wife.

"It's good to see you again." She said, giving her a hug.

"You know if you need anything while they are gone, you can just call me, right?" Florence asked Raina.

"Thanks. You're too sweet."

Before long, the rest of the crew had showed up, which signaled that it was almost time to leave. Everyone started saying their good-byes, which spawned more tears out of Raina.

"I will call you when we get there." Crosby said, wrapping his arms around Raina. She immediately put her arms around his neck, bringing him in for a searing kiss, their tongues fighting for control. The scene prompted the cheering that started on the boat.

"You come home safely, okay?" She said, tears flowing.

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too." She said, giving him another kiss.

Raina reluctantly let go of Crosby, and watched as he picked up Kylie to say good-bye to her. She took her from him and watched him jump on the boat, and then turn back to get another look at them.

"Say bye to Daddy." Raina said to Kylie, waving to Crosby.

The boat slowly moved away from the docks, and Raina stood there with the rest of the families until the boat was out of sight. Raina took a deep breath, not wanting to come to the conclusion that he was going to be gone for awhile.

"Alright, sweetie, it's time to go home." Raina said, putting Kylie back in her stroller.

The small group of people headed back towards the parking lot and Raina quickly put Kylie in her carseat after she said her good-byes to everyone. She then put the stroller in the trunk, and then drove towards the house. She heard her cell phone ring, and she picked it up off the dash and saw that Lacey was calling.

"What's up?" Raina answered.

"I'm lonely. What are you doing?"

"Driving home from dropping Crosby off." She answered.

"I just got home from the airport dropping Mike off. Want to come over to keep each other company?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Raina said.

She hung up the phone, and headed over to Lacey's house. When she got there, she parked the car, and then got Kylie out of the car as well, and then walked inside Lacey's house.

"Hey, I made us mimosas." Lacey said, bringing in two glasses and a pitcher of Mimosa.

"You have totally read my mind." Raina said, taking Kylie out of her carseat. She laid her down on her stomach, and then spread around a couple toys next to her to play with. She then sat down on the couch next to Lacey, accepting one of the glasses of mimosa.

"Is it always this hard?" Raina asked her. "I wasn't this bad after saying bye at salmon season."

"It's worse for me for King Crab season than salmon season, and then again for opie season."

"Why is that?" Raina asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"King crab is much more dangerous, and longer, than salmon season. And then there is opie season, which is the worst on length, and danger."

Raina nodded, sighing.

"The first day is always the worst." Lacey said, watching Kylie play on the floor.

"I didn't even want to get out of bed this morning. It was perfect. Me, him, and Kylie were all laying in bed together this morning." Raina said, smiling at the thought.

"Cheers to being fishermen's wives." Lacey said, holding up her glass. Raina tapped her glass to Lacey's, then took a drink of her mimosa.

"You know what we could do, to help pass the time faster?" Lacey said after the two of them watched Kylie play with the toy she finally had in her hands.

"What?"

"Plan your wedding, so you can be an official fisherman's wife."

Raina smiled.

"I picked out the bridesmaids dresses." Raina said, glancing over at Lacey.

"Did you? What do they look like?"

"Well, I've decided on doing purple as my color." Raina said. "And as far as how they look, you will just have to wait to see when you try on the dress."

"What?"

"I want you to be in the wedding."

"Aw, are you serious?" She asked, smiling at Raina.

"Yeah. I want you to be my maid of honor actually."

"Seriously?" She asked, her smile even bigger.

"Yeah. I'd be lost without you. You're one of my closest friends. Of course I want you to be my maid of honor."

"I would be honored to do that."

"Then it's settled." Raina said with a smile.

"When do you want to start planning?" Lacey asked, sitting back in the couch taking a sip of her drink.

"I say tomorrow. Today, I am enjoying a few drinks." She answered, watching her glass, which was empty.

"Here, let me fill you up." Lacey said, grabbing the pitcher. She slowly filled Raina's glass, and Raina immediately took another sip. She knew this was going to be a long King Crab season at that point, and she already deeply missed Crosby.

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There you have it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think! :)


	38. Chapter 38

Another day, another update! Thank you guys for the reviews so far! LOVE reading them! Please keep them coming! Just to warn you, the story is coming to end in a chapter or so. Hate to end it, but it is time to focus on a new story. :) Remember to check out my new story "Praying for a Miracle". Want to know if I should continue on or not with it. :)

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The next couple of months, Raina kept herself as busy as possible. She worked extra shifts at work, and dove into planning the wedding, with Lacey and Beth's help. The wedding plans were coming together, and with the fact that most of it was going to be done in Iowa with the help of her aunt Rebecca and her mom, she found herself finding less and less to do.

"How about you and Beth come over tonight for some wine and help me write out invitations?" Raina suggested to Lacey over the phone. She was on her lunch break, and she was outside her job trying to pass the time before she headed inside.

"Sounds like a plan to me. I have nothing going on tonight, as usual. Having some wine definitely sounds like a plan to me."

"I will invite Beth when I see her inside. It'll be fun."

"Oh, I got a phone call from Mike." She said, and Raina could practically hear the smile in her voice.

"He's done, isn't he?" She asked.

"Yeah. He'll be home in a couple days." Lacey happily said.

"That is so exciting. I am so happy for you!" Raina said with a smile. She couldn't help but feel jealous of the fact that he was coming home, and Crosby wasn't, but knew that the Wizard had a larger quota to catch than the Time Bandit, so there was still some time before he would be coming home.

"Anyway, I will bring a bottle of wine tonight." Lacey went on, Raina realizing she wasn't listening to a thing she was saying up to that point.

"Sounds good. I will try to get Kylie to bed early tonight so that we won't have to worry about her."

"Alright. I'll call you later."

Raina hung up her phone, and then stared at it for a minute. She sighed, then headed inside the hospital, where it was complete chaos.

"What the hell happened?" She asked walking through the main treatment room.

"Hell if I know. It's like it vomited sick animals in here. Mallory was looking for you earlier. She needs you up front." One of Raina's co-workers, Deserae said.

Raina quickly went to the front, where there was a line of people waiting to be helped. She jumped back into her job, quickly helping everyone that was waiting. When everyone was taken care of, and things quieted down, Laura, her manager, came up to her.

"Raina, can I talk to you?" She asked.

Raina glanced at Mallory, who just shrugged her shoulders.

"Of course."

Raina followed Laura into the back where her office was, and shut the door behind her.

"Why do I feel as if I'm about to get into trouble?" Raina joked, smiling at Laura.

"You are anything but in trouble, Raina. Dr. Peak and I have been watching you, and he wanted me to talk to you." She said, talking about one of the owners of the practice.

"Okay." Raina said, not sure where the conversation was going.

"As you know, we have been thinking of hiring heads of each department, and Dr. Peak had suggested you." Laura said with a smile.

Raina smiled at the comment.

"Really?" She asked.

"You are great up there. The clients really seem to like you, and I have heard nothing but great things from clients and your co-workers. You have really come a long way since you started here."

"Even with all the time I like to ask off? When Crosby comes home, I definitely like to spend as much time with him as possible."

"We know this, and we still want to offer the job to you."

Raina nodded.

"Can I think about it?"

"Definitely. You just let us know as soon as you know." Laura said, smiling at Raina.

Raina stood up, nodding. She headed back to the reception desk, getting back to work. Her head was spinning at what had just happened, but found herself kind of excited about the job offer.

When Raina was done with work, she headed back to the doctor's office, where she found Beth sitting typing up medical records on her computer.

"What ya' doin?" Raina asked, leaning against Beth's desk.

"Finishing up some things before I head out. You done for the day?" She asked.

"Yeah. Lacey is coming over tonight to have some wine and work on wedding invitations. You are more than welcome to join if you want."

"Hmm, no work tomorrow, and Matt is out tonight for his own guys night. I think that I just may be there." Beth said with a smile.

"Awesome. I will see you later tonight then." Raina said. She quickly headed home, making a quick stop at the daycare to pick Kylie up, who was excited to see her. When she got home, she made herself a small dinner, then fed Kylie, who happily sucked on her bottle.

She heard her phone ring, and getting her hopes up, she looked at her phone, wishing it was Crosby. She was still happy when she saw that Jeremy was calling her.

"What's going on, brother of mine?" She answered the phone, cleaning up from dinner.

"Calling to see how my favorite sister and beautiful niece are doing." He said.

"This must mean you need something." Raina said, smiling.

"Now, Ina, I am hurt. What makes you think that I would want something?"

"Jeremy, I'm not stupid."

"Fine, I wanted to see if you guys wanted to join us for Christmas this year." He said.

"I don't know what we are doing. Crosby and I haven't quite decided. Hard to decide when he's not home yet."

"Any ideas when he'll be home?" He asked.

"No. Haven't heard from him in a few weeks. I hope it's soon. I miss him."

"Have you got a lot of things done for the wedding?" He asked.

"Yeah. Just working on invitations tonight with Lacey and Beth. Those will take the longest."

"You should put a picture of the whole family in them, since everyone in the family has been asking us why they don't have a picture of the baby, or of you and Crosby together."

"Then that will take even longer. I guess I could do that though. It won't be hard to throw a picture in each envelope before sending them out."

"There ya' go. You're already sending everyone something. Might as well include a picture."

"That means I actually have to get a picture taken." Raina said, making a face. "This is all way too much work, and I'm starting to feel overwhelmed."

"You're almost at the point where we were when we wished we eloped." Jeremy joked.

"Anyway, brother of mine, I am getting off the phone. I need to put Kylie to bed before the girls show, and who knows how long that will take me." She said, watching Kylie play with some toys in the living room.

"Sounds good. Just let me know what you guys decide about Christmas."

Raina agreed before hanging up the phone. She went into the living room and laid down on her stomach, facing Kylie, who squealed with delight when her mom came over to her. She gathered Kylie in her arms, and started to tickle her, and she screamed, laughing and giggling away.

"That is such an amazing sound." Lacey said, walking into Raina's house at that moment.

"I just love hearing her laugh." Raina said, smiling down at her daughter, who was watching Lacey with a smile.

"How was work today?" Lacey asked as she put the bottle of wine she brought over in the refrigerator.

"Busy, but good. I definitely have some news to tell you."

"What's that?" Lacey asked.

"I'll tell you when Beth gets here. That way I can tell you both at the same time."

"Is Crosby coming home?"

"I wish." Raina said, making a face.

"He'll be home soon. I just know it."

"I hope. I am missing him more than I thought was possible."

"I wish I could say that it gets better in time, but it doesn't." Lacey said, sighing.

"I know, but he's worth it. I knew what I was getting myself into when I said yes to the engagement." Raina sighed, rolling onto her back next to Kylie. "I just wish it wasn't hard."

"That's why us fishermen's wives need to stick together. To help each other through the hard times."

Raina nodded, smiling at Lacey. She glanced at the clock, and realized it was a little after eight.

"Let me get this little one to bed." Raina said, sitting up. "Come on baby girl."

Raina picked up Kylie, and then headed up the stairs to put her to sleep. She sat down in the rocking chair and rocked her to sleep, singing to her softly. It didn't take long for Kylie to fall asleep, and Raina quietly set her in bed, then kissed her forehead gently.

Raina made her way downstairs after grabbing the baby monitor out of her room. When she got downstairs, she saw Beth sitting on the couch.

"Hey, you're here." Raina said, smiling.

"We already poured you a glass of wine." Beth said, pointing to the glass on the coffee table.

Raina picked it up, taking a sip of the wine, and then sat down.

"So, should we get started on the invitations?" Lacey asked.

"Sure." Raina said, grabbing a box that held the invitations and the list of people that were invited and their addresses.

"So, what's the news that you wanted to tell us?" Lacey asked as she wrote out the invitations.

"Oh, yes. Guess what Laura asked me today." She said to Beth.

"What?"

"Wait, whose Laura?" Lacey questioned.

"She's my manager. She asked me to be head of the front desk." Raina said.

"Whoa, that's a big step." Lacey said.

"I am surprised it took them this long. I heard Dr. Peak talking about it awhile ago." Beth said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Raina asked.

"I wanted you to be surprised. Are you going to take it?" Beth asked her, smiling.

"I don't know. I am afraid that they will be expecting me to work crazy hours, which I am fine with when Crosby isn't home, but when he is, I want to be off as much as possible to be with him."

"Be sure to let them know that. You told them the work schedule you wanted when you started, and they still hired you. I'm sure they never would have offered you the job knowing that you would be asking off a lot in the off season." Beth said.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"This would normally be a conversation I would have with my significant other. Unfortunately, I have no way of getting a hold of him."

"I think you should take it. Worse comes to worse, it doesn't work out, and you go back to doing what you are doing now."

"What if they fire me instead?"

"I highly doubt that. You are great up there. I hear all the time from clients how much they like you, and you have only been there for a short time. It's awesome that you got offered the job, over people who have been there for years."

"I just need to think about it I guess." Raina said, setting the envelope she just finished aside.

"Are we closing these? I forgot to ask." Lacey asked.

"No. I am going to include a family picture in them for everyone. My family has been on my case about sending a picture of the baby, so I figured this was the easiest way."

"Smart." Lacey said, nodding.

"So, when does Mike get home?" Beth asked Lacey.

Raina half listened to the conversation between Beth and Lacey, finishing off her glass of wine. She was jealous, she wouldn't deny it, and wish that Crosby was coming home too. She sighed, as she poured herself another glass of wine.

"Crosby will be home soon too, just you watch." Beth said, noticing how quiet Raina got.

Raina smiled, nodding. She only hoped she was right.

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There you have it. PLEASE tell me what you think!


	39. Chapter 39

Sorry for such a big delay, but things have been crazy. Had a family member in the hospital, a close family friends' triplets were ran over by a car a couple nights ago and unfortunately, one didn't make it, and another is on the brink of death still. I would appreciate it greatly for any prayers you guys can throw their way. :(

To get my mind off things, here is an update. Please review! It will help keep my mind off of things.

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A couple weeks later, Raina stood in the airport, hardly able to contain her excitement. Kylie was on her hip, mesmerized by the amount of people in the airport.

"Your daddy is going to be here very soon." Raina said to Kylie, as she looked through the crowd for Crosby.

"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma." Kylie said, sucking on her hand.

"Yes, you should say Da-da. That will make Crosby very happy." She said, smiling at her daughter, who was drooling up a storm at this point.

It was then that Raina spotted Crosby coming their way, a smile on his face. Raina immediately felt the tears form in her eyes, which she told herself she wasn't going to cry when she saw him, but failed miserably.

"I have missed you guys so much." He said, walking up to them. He immediately kissed Raina, holding her close to him.

"You are going to have a very hard time leaving again in a month." She said to him through her tears.

"Let's not talk about that." He said, wiping away the tears that were on Raina's cheeks. "And how is my big girl?"

Raina watched Crosby pick up Kylie, giving her kisses. She giggled in response.

"I can't believe how big she has gotten." He said, smiling at his daughter.

"She's crawling now, getting into everything."

"Saying any words?" He asked.

"Kind of. She says ma many times in a row, but I don't think she means it as mama or anything. She kind of says that about everything."

"We will need to work on getting you to say dada." He said, smiling at Kylie, who was back to looking at everything in the large room.

"Let's get your bags, and get home." Raina said, smiling. Crosby immediately grabbed Raina's hand as they headed to the baggage claim. Once he grabbed his duffle bag, they headed home.

"It is so good to be home." Crosby said, walking into the house.

"We're happy to finally have you home." Raina smiled, setting Kylie down on the ground by her toys.

Crosby sat down on the couch, happy to finally be able to relax and rest his sore muscles. It had been a long season, since they were shorthanded the majority of it since their greenhorns kept leaving. He was just happy it was over. He watched as Raina walked over to him, and then strattled him, kissing him.

"Should we be doing this with Kylie in here?" He asked as she kissed his neck, her hands roaming under his shirt.

"She doesn't understand what is going on." She said, smiling.

"I feel as if she is watching us." He said, glancing over to where Kylie was at. She had her back to them, happily playing with her toys.

"If it makes you feel better, I have a baby sitter for her tonight." She said to him softly, kissing him again.

"Do you?" He asked, smiling at her.

She nodded.

"I'm taking her to Beth and Matt's house. I wanted us to have tonight alone."

"Really. I kind of like the sound of that." He said, wrapping his arms around Raina, his hands roaming up her back under her shirt.

"Ma-ma-ma-ma." Kylie said, pulling herself up on the side of the couch.

"Hey, baby girl." Raina said, smiling at Kylie. She picked her up, setting her in between her and Crosby.

"I think someone is jealous she's not getting all of your time." Crosby said, smiling at Raina.

"She's going to have to learn to share at some point." She said, giving him another kiss. "You stay with her, I will go and pack up her things."

Crosby watched her leave the room, and then turned his attention to Kylie, who was watching him with her big blue eyes.

"You and I, missy, will be spending a lot of time together over the next month. I don't like being this big stranger in your life."

Kylie just stared at him, her hand in her mouth.

"You really do like sucking on that thing, don't you?" He asked her, laughing.

Raina quickly threw some things into Kylie's overnight bag, and then headed downstairs to the living room, where she heard Crosby talking to Kylie. She stood in the hallway, watching him talk to her, and she smiled to herself. She saw that the two of them were on the floor, while Kylie showed Crosby all of her toys. Raina set Kylie's bag down on the couch and laid down next to them on her stomach.

"I see she is showing you all of her toys."

"More like her giving me every single one of them." He said with a smile, his arms full of toys.

"She does this with everyone she doesn't really know." Raina said softly, watching Kylie hand over another toy.

"I hope to change that in the coming weeks." He said, watching Raina.

She nodded, watching Kylie with a small smile.

"Ina, what's wrong?" He asked, setting all of the toys in his arms to the side, then laid down next to her, putting his arm around her.

"I'm just very happy you are home." She said, smiling at him.

He kissed her cheek, bringing her in for a hug.

"Alright, Kylie, it's time to go to Beth's house." She said, wiping away her tears. She didn't understand why she was so emotional, and told herself that she was done now, because Crosby wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Want me to go with?" He asked.

"You just relax. I will be home very soon." She said, smiling at him.

Raina picked up Kylie, and drove her to Beth and Matt's house. When she got home, all of the lights were turned off in the house, and she made a face, wondering where Crosby was at.

"Crosby?" She called out, setting her purse down on the kitchen table. "Where are you?"

She headed upstairs, wondering if he was in bed already, and found their bed empty. She was about to leave the room when she saw a dim light coming from the bathroom. She walked into the bathroom, opening the door fully, and a smile crossed her face at what she saw.

"What's all of this?" She asked, smiling at Crosby, who was finishing lighting all of the candles that were scattered throughout the bathroom. She glanced at the bubble bath that was just drawn up, then looked back at him.

"You and I both deserve a nice, relaxing evening." He said, smiling at her.

"You have definitely read my mind." She agreed. "However, I see why I deserve a relaxing evening. I don't really see what you have done to deserve it."

"Funny." He joked, walking up to her. He gently kissed her, wrapping his arms around her. Slowly, their kiss got more passionate, their clothes being taken off slowly. They slowly made their way into the bathtub, where Crosby proceeded to give her a back massage.

"I should be the one doing this to you." Raina said to him, her eyes closed as he worked out the knots that were in her shoulders and back.

"I'll take a raincheck." He said, kissing her shoulder.

She turned around slowly, facing him, and wrapped her legs around his waist, letting him slowly enter her. She kissed him, both fighting for control with their tongues, as he slowly moved his way in and out of her. She moaned with every thrust he made, and with every sound she made, it brought Crosby closer and closer to the edge. He felt her nails dig into his back, which signaled that she was just as close to finishing. With one last dive into her, he felt her walls tightening around him, which was enough to put him over the edge, as they both came together.

Raina gently kissed him, trying to catch her breath. She felt his hands run up her back, and she got the chills at his soft touch.

"I love you so much." He said to her.

She smiled at him.

"Me too."

He stood up, Raina's legs still wrapped around his waist, and carried her to their bed, laying her down before crawling on top of her. They had the night alone, and he was planning on taking full advantage of the whole night.

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There you have it! Will have this finished in the next chapter by the looks of it. Much thanks to all of those that have reviewed, and to those that continue to review! You know who you are. :)


	40. Chapter 40

The last and final chapter is HERE! I'm so sad to see it end, but all good things must come to an end. Just a reminder, I do have another story going called "Praying for a Miracle" that is a sequel to my first story, so please go and check that out. You won't have to worry about reading the first story to be completely lost in the 2nd story. I'm trying to keep it from being too confusing.

Tell me what you think, and thank you guys soooooo much for all the great reviews during this story! You all are great! :)

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Raina stood in front of the mirror as she looked at herself with her wedding dress on. She was inside her aunt and uncles house at the winery, waiting for the ceremony to start.

"You look amazing." Hillary said, watching Raina from where she was sitting.

Raina smiled at the compliment, turning towards Lacey, Beth, Hillary, Rachel, and Trisha, who were all in her wedding party.

"I never thought that this day would come." Raina said, smiling at her friends.

"How are we doing in here?" Cathrine said, walking into the room at that moment. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her daughter standing in her wedding dress.

"We're all ready." Raina said, watching her mom. Cathrine slowly walked over to where Raina was standing, just watching her.

"You look amazing." Cathrine finally spit out.

"Thanks." Raina said.

Cathrine smiled a small smile to her.

"We're getting ready to go. Your father is waiting outside for you." She said, then walked out of the room.

"And that may be as good as it gets from her." Raina said, shrugging her shoulders, but smiled.

"You weren't kidding about her, were you?" Lacey asked.

Raina shook her head, making a face.

"She has been talking about how excited she was for this day for months. She never says it to you, but she sure does talk nice things about you behind your back." Rachel said.

"It's funny how that is. Most people talk shit behind peoples backs. Not my mother though." Raina joked, shaking her head.

"Alright, lets get this show on the road." Neil said, popping his head in the door.

Everyone stood at the comment, and headed outside. Neil smiled at his daughter, holding out his arm for her to take.

"You look amazing." He said to her.

"Thanks, Dad."

"I'm so glad you never gave in to your mother. Every father should get the chance to walk their daughter down the aisle."

She smiled at him.

She heard the music going outside, and she saw Kylie standing with her little basket of flowers with Savannah holding hers as well.

"Kylie, lets go." Savannah said, grabbing for her cousins hand. Kylie took out one of the flower pedals, and then lifted it up to show her mom.

"Mama, look!" She said with a big smile.

"I see. Follow Savannah to go show daddy." She said.

She watched as Kylie turned, and then headed down the aisle to where her dad was standing, Savannah following close behind.

"You ready?" Neil asked.

Raina nodded. The two of them headed down the aisle, and Raina watched Crosby, who just smiled at her, his breath taken away by the sight of her.

When they reached the end of the aisle, Neil turned to his daughter, lifted the veil, and kissed his daughters cheek. Raina then turned to Crosby, taking his hand in hers.

The ceremony was shorter than a normal wedding ceremony went in her family, but she didn't want a traditional Danish wedding. She found herself barely paying attention to what was being said during the ceremony. She was concentrating more on not crying, however, when she was saying her vows, she lost the fight.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Raina smiled at Crosby as he brought her in for a kiss. Everyone cheered, and Raina felt Kylie hitting her leg. She looked down, and picked her up, giving her a kiss, and Crosby did the same.

The reception was held across the lawn under tents that were set up behind the winery. Everyone made their way over to the tents to eat the dinner that Cathrine had put together for the occasion.

"You better save me a dance." Scott Hillstrand said to Raina, smiling at her.

"I definitely will do. I'm so glad you and Sara could make it."

"Wouldn't miss it. However, when you say that you are from a small town, I never imagined this."

Raina smiled at him.

"However, the hotel has been fun. It's been one big party there almost every night so far. I feel bad for the staff. It's overrun by us all." He joked.

Raina then watched as someone walk by them.

"Oh, Crosby! I want you to meet someone." She said, standing up, grabbing his hand at the same time.

"Who?" He asked.

She walked over to a gentleman who was talking to a couple of her relatives.

"Hey." He said to her, giving her a hug. "Congratulations to you two."

"Thanks. Hun, I want you to meet the person who technically introduced us." She said.

Crosby gave her a confused look.

"This is Crosby Levren."

"Ah, now I know why. I do have to thank you for having a similar name as mine." Crosby said, shaking his hand.

"Yeah, I got the invitation, and had to do a double take. I thought you and I were getting married, and didn't know it."

"I don't think you're wife would appreciate that too much." Raina said with a smile.

"So, please, tell me how I am involved in you two meeting." He asked.

Raina told him the story, the shortened version of it, as the music started to play.

"Where is the bride and groom?" The DJ asked through the microphone.

"I think you're being summoned." Her friend said to them, smiling.

Raina and Crosby made their way onto the dance floor to dance to their first song as a married couple. Raina heard Kylie running in their direction halfway through the song, and Crosby picked her up, to dance with her as well.

"I don't think I have seen you this happy in awhile." Jeremy said to his sister after she was done dancing. She was standing at the bar getting herself something to drink.

"I couldn't be happier right now." She said to her brother, smiling at him.

"You look amazing." He said. "I haven't had a chance to tell you that."

"Thanks." She responded, giving him a hug.

"Why aren't you dancing?" Lacey asked, walking up to the two of them at the bar area.

"Just talking with my brother." Raina responded.

"Okay, so I was the one who was designated to ask you a question." Lacey asked, grabbing herself a drink.

"What?" Raina asked, curious.

"We heard you and Crosby arguing the other night." She said, making a face.

"You did? I always knew those walls at the hotel are thin."

"What happened?" She asked.

"You all are too nosy." Raina joked, taking a sip of her wine.

"We're just worried."

"Obviously everything is fine." Raina said, watching Crosby from across the room. He was dancing with his mom, deep in conversation about something.

"Well?" Jeremy asked. "What was it about?"  
She shook her head.

"We got into an argument about him leaving for fishing."

"What, you don't want him to fish anymore?" Lacey asked.

"No, he doesn't want to go fishing anymore." She said, taking another sip of wine.

"What?" Jeremy and Lacey said at the same time.

"He wants to be home more often, which I don't blame him, but he loves to fish. He has been talking about getting his own salmon fishing boat for as long as I have known him. He wants to do it because he doesn't want to leave me alone anymore, but I can tell he still loves what he does. I am in no way going to be the reason he leaves fishing."

"So, what was the ending result?" Jeremy asked.

"He's fishing. We're going to take it one season at a time." She said.

"So, you are happy with the fact that he won't be home a lot?"

"Yes, I am. It sucks when he's gone, but I know that everything will be alright." She said, finishing her wine. "Now, no more sad or serious stuff. It's time to shake my butt on the dance floor. It's not often my ass looks this good in a dress."

Lacey laughed as the two of them headed towards the dance floor. She went up to Crosby, who was dancing with Cathrine by that time, and smiled at the two of them.

"I will let you two be." Cathrine said, smiling at Crosby. She looked at her daughter, put her hand up to her face and smiled at her. She then walked away.

"What did she say to you?" She asked as Crosby brought her close to him.

"Gave me the talk that I thought I would have had with her a long time ago." He said, smiling at her.

"And what talk is that?"

"I have to be good to you, and if I ever hurt you, she will hunt me down. You know, the normal talk."

She laughed at the comment.

"I think it's great that she is trying." She said, watching her Mom, who was dancing with her dad at that point.

"It's little steps that count. I wouldn't expect her to be anything like my mom anytime soon."

"Cros, I wouldn't expect my mother to be anything like your mom ever." She said with a smile.

He smiled at her.

"So, you still haven't told me where we are going on our honeymoon." Raina said to him, giving him a look out of the corner of her eye.

"You can't let me surprise you with anything, can you?" He asked.

Raina shook her head.

"Well, we leave tomorrow, and friends will be joining us, because the more people that go on these things, the better, but we will definitely have plenty of time to ourselves."

She gave him a questioned look.

"We're going on a cruise to Mexico." He said, smiling at her.

"Are you serious?" She asked.

"Yeah. It's a 5 day cruise to Mexico. Kylie will be staying with your parents."

She smiled at him.

"You have this all planned out, don't you?" She asked.

"I've had this planned out for months." He confessed. "I remember you telling me you have never been on a cruise, and I couldn't think of a better honeymoon than this. We will be able to do our own thing, but we will have our friends around us as well."

She gave him a kiss.

"I couldn't think of a more perfect idea." She said to him, smiling.

"I do have some smart moments at times." He said with a smile.

The rest of the night flew by in a blur for Raina. Kylie was supposed to stay with her parents that evening, but with the fact that she would be with them for the rest of the week, both Raina and Crosby both wanted her to stay with them that night instead.

When they arrived at their hotel room that evening, Kylie was already asleep. Raina wanted her to sleep in the bed with them, already sad with the fact that she wouldn't see her over the next five days. She slept soundly next to Raina, with Crosby on her other side.

"I can't believe we're married." She said as he held onto her. She was facing Kylie, with her back to Crosby.

"It doesn't seem real yet." He agreed.

"Everything just seems perfect right now." She said softly.

He nodded, kissing her neck.

"I wouldn't change a thing." He said.

She agreed, as the two of them started to fall asleep. Everything, at that point, seemed right in their world.

The End

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There you have it! Please tell me what you think! :) Thanks again for all the great reviews! :)


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